Tokyo Olympics shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Tejaswini Sawant unable to make 50m Rifle 3P final

Indian shooters Anjum Moudgil and Tejaswini Sawant were eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics as they failed to make the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions on Saturday.

Anjum Moudgil, the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver-medallist, finished 15th in the qualifying rounds with a total score of 1167. Tejaswini Sawant was placed 33rd out of 37 shooters with an aggregate of 1154.

Only the top-eight shooters advance to the final. 

ROC’s Yulia Zykova shot an Olympic qualifying record 1182 to top the charts and Jeanette Hegg Duestad of Norway took the eighth and last spot in the final with a total of 1171.

In 50m rifle 3 positions, competitors shoot at the target from three different positions — kneeling, prone and standing. The scores from each of the three positions are then added up for the final score.

It was a solid start from Anjum Moudgil at the Akasa Shooting Range as she began with a 390 out of a possible 400 in the kneeling position while 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Tejaswini Sawant fell back early, shooting only 384.

Anjum Moudgil then shot 395 in the prone position, which included a perfect 100 in the second series. Tejaswini Sawant shot better too - scoring 394 with 99 each in the first and third series.

With a big score needed in the standing position, Tejaswini Sawant fell out of contention soon - shooting only 94 and 93 in the first two series - and eventually scored 376.

Anjum Moudgil also began the standing position poorly with an 8 in the first shot - the first time she dipped below 9 in the qualifying round - and scored only 94 in the first series.

She then shot 96 and 95 in the next two series before ending with a 97 for a total of 382, but it was too late by then.

Anjum Moudgil had also shot in the 10m air rifle mixed team event with Deepak Kumar but the pair did not go through to the final.