India's shooters kicked off their much-awaited campaign in the 19th Commonwealth games in grand fashion, winning two gold and two silver medals, at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi on Tuesday.
Aiming to overhaul the record 27 medals that they won in the last edition in Melbourne four years ago, Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang started the mission in earnest, firing a record 1193 in the men's 10m air rifle event to give the country its first gold medal in this edition of the Games.
Rahi Sarnobat and Anisa Sayeed then followed it up with another gold in pairs 25m pistol event for women.
Deepak Sharma and Omkar Singh (1187) then clinched the silver medal in 50m pistol for men, finishing just seven points behind Singapore's Bin Gai and Swee Hon Lim.
Trinidad & Tobago's Roger Peter Daniel and Rhodney Richard Allen bagged the bronze medal in the event.
Women shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja Goswami continued India's medal rush, winning the silver medal in the pairs 50m rifle 3 position later on a sunny afternoon to end the day on high for the hosts.
Tejaswini and Goswami totalled an impressive 1143 in prone, standing and kneeling stage, but still finished six points behind gold medalists Aqilah Sudhir and Xiang Wei Jasmine Ser of Singapore, who totalled 1149. Scotland's Kay Copland and Jen Mcintosh (1142) settled for the bronze medal.
Earlier, the duo of Abhinav and Gagan scored 1193 to break their own record, which they had set four years ago in Melbourne, totalling 1189.
Sarnobat and Sayeed also broke an eight-year-old record. The pair shot an impressive 1158 to finish ahead of Australia's Lalita Yauhleuskaya and Linda Ryan (1148) and England's Gorgs Geikie and Julia Lydall (1122).
The previous record in the 25m pistol (women) stood in the name of Australia's Lalita Yauhleuskaya and Linda Ryan, who totalled 1150 at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.
In 10m air rifle, England's James Huckle and Kenny Parr (1174) won the silver medal while Bangladesh's Abdullah Hel Baki and Md Asif Hussain Khan (1173) had to be content with bronze in 10m air rifle. Both countries, however, were far behind the Indian duo of Bindra and Gagan.
World record holder Gagan, coming off a none-too-impressive season, shot a spectacular sequence of 99, 100, 100, 99, 100, 100 to total a grand 598, while Beijing Olympic gold medalist Bindra's series read 100, 98 ,99, 100, 99, 99 for a total of 595 in the first shooting event of the Games.
"Many thought I am dictator, since I had imposed a gag order on the shooters prior to the Games. But whatever I was doing, I was doing for the country. And we have got the reward for that," said national coach Sunny Thomas.
Thomas, however, cautioned that instead of basking in glory, it would be wise to focus on the coming events.
"This was easy but I am sure the coming events are going to be difficult. I am happy that both Gagan and Abhinav, they shot well today. It's certainly a good start for India and we hope to maintain the momentum," Thomas said.
While Sayeed, the experienced 30-year-old from Haryana, was expected to led the team in 25m pistol, it was Sarnobat who hogged the limelight with some sublime shooting in the women's event.
Like Tejeswani, the 20-year-old Sarnobat too hails from Kolhapur, Maharashtra and is rated highly by those who know her.
The Delhi Games is Sarnobat's first attempt at a multi-discipline sporting event and the gold proved that she is here to stay.
"She is one for the future," said a team official after Sarnobat's medal-winning feat.
She has been with India's core group of shooters for the past two years and, according to her coaches and team officials, has a very bright future ahead of her.
Tejaswini, the first Indian woman shooter to win a world championship gold, scored 575 (prone 194, standing 190, kneeling 191) while Lajja totalled 568, including a 193 in prone, but she fell behind in standing and kneeling stage, managing scores of 188 and 187.
Singapore's Aqilah totalled 581, after a solid 199 in prone, and a 190 and 192 in standing and kneeling stage, while Xiang Wei managed 568 (prone 194, standing and kneeling 187).
This was Tejaswini's second medal in a major competition in two months, after her gold medal triumph at the World Championships in Munich in August. The shooter from Kohlapur had also won two medals in the last edition of the games in Melbourne in 10m air rifle.
