Sky is the limit: Gagan & Co. add more to the kitty

Something about Indian shooting is changing fast. Of course, they have been world champions, World Cup medal winners and record holders.

Something about Indian shooting is changing fast. Of course, they have been world champions, World Cup medal winners and record holders.

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But now, it seems, the determination to win gold is turning into steely resolve. On Friday, India garnered three more gold to take their tally to 10, along with one silver and a bronze.

Gagan Narang would have barely savoured his world record performance when he was back at the 50m range shooting down another gold — his third — partnering Army's Imran Hasan Khan and shattering a 16-year-old Games mark by a whopping 25 points in the rifle three-position event. Narang shot 1167, while Imran 1158 to aggregate 2325.

Some people bask in glory while others choose to remain humble. Vijay Kumar belongs to the latter category. The unassuming rapid-fire pistol shooter shrugged off his gold medal-winning performance in the individual category saying it was just a matter of routine.

Defending his 2006 Melbourne title, he shot so beautifully that he bettered his Games record of 581 set four years back by two points and also raised Final Games Record (FGR) bar. He aggregated 787.5 (583+204.5) to eclipse his Melbourne record of 778.2 and add a second gold to his kitty.

In trap, it was a case of who would blink first. The pair of double Olympic champion Michael Diamond (100/100) and Adam Vella (98) finally emerged triumphant with 198/200. The pair of Manavjit (98) and Mansher (99) aggregated one point less (197).