Manu Bhaker enters her first Olympic final; salvages India's underwhelming day in shooting
Chateauroux (France), Jul 27: A supremely confident Manu Bhaker was at the top of her game as she entered the 10m women's air pistol final, salvaging the day for Indian shooting after an underwhelming start by her compatriots in the Olympic Games here on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Bhaker shot 580 to finish third in the qualifications in which Hungarian ace Veronika Major claimed the top spot with a score of 582. The other Indian representative, Rhythm Sangwan, ended 15th with a score of 573. The final will be held on Sunday.
Reduced to tears following her forgettable outing in her Games debut in Tokyo three years ago, Bhaker is seeking to add an Olympic medal to her very excellent resume.
A prominent shooter, who has gained international recognition for his exploits in the sport form a very young age, Bhaker looked determined to keep the Tokyo memories behind and produced a fine qualification performance.
The Haryana shooter made a bright start with a total of 97 points to take the fourth spot at the end of Series 1.
Bhaker got a 97 in the second series too and remained in fourth as Sangwan slipped to 26th after a poor outing including an 8. But Bhaker was back in the top two after an excellent 98 in her third series.
Bhaker got an 8 in the fifth series, her first bad shot in an otherwise excellent qualification, but she still remained in the mix and eventually made the final.
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Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar occupies CM's suite at new Karnataka Bhavan
New Delhi: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has occupied the exclusive CM’s suite accommodation at the new Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi’s upscale Chanakyapuri area, stirring speculation in political circles regarding changes in the state’s Congress leadership.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had briefly occupied the suite during a previous visit to the national capital but later shifted to the CM’s suite in the Annexe building of Karnataka Bhavan, reportedly citing lack of ventilation in the new facility.
Sources quoted by Deccan Herald said that Shivakumar requested Siddaramaiah to allow him to use the suite since it was lying vacant, and the Chief Minister agreed.
Reacting to the buzz, Shivakumar told reporters there was no need to read into the matter. “The Chief Minister’s post is not vacant and there is no need to discuss such issues now,” he said.
Amid ongoing speculations of a possible leadership change in the state, Congress general secretary (Karnataka in-charge) Randeep Surjewala held meetings with party MLAs to gauge their views on current political developments in the state.
Shivakumar mentioned that Surjewala would soon hold a joint meeting with both him and the Chief Minister to discuss ongoing political affairs in Karnataka. However, he refused to disclose further details about the proposed meeting.
