Nagoya, Sep 28 (PTI) Rahi Sarnobat’s Asian Games campaign took a bizarre and bitter turn on Monday when a shot she believed had not strayed outside the target was ruled to have hit the frame, earning her a zero in the women’s 25m sports pistol qualification and severely denting India’s hopes of a team medal.
The experienced shooter struggled to comprehend an incident she said she had never encountered in her career, while questioning the evidence used to justify the decision.
The controversy unfolded in the opening series of the Rapid round, the second and final day of qualification, when Sarnobat was told that a shot had struck the target frame instead of registering on the scoring zone.
A series in which she expected to score around 96 out of 100 yielded just 86, dealing a potentially decisive blow to India’s team medal prospects in an event where every point counts.
The 2018 Asian Games champion was unconvinced by the explanation officials offered. More than the damage to her individual campaign, it was the impact on her teammates that made the episode particularly difficult to accept.
“Frankly speaking, I am not sure what exactly happened. Usually, when you hit the frame, there is a different sound, a metallic sound. There are a lot of youngsters around us who hit the frame during training, so we are familiar with that sound.
“But I did not hear it, and a few of my colleagues from different countries also told me that they did not hear anything unusual,” Sarnobat said.
The confusion deepened when officials indicated that an extra shot had been registered on target number 21 before identifying another on target number 20, where Sarnobat was shooting. The discrepancy only added to her doubts about the ruling.
“On target number 21, they showed a shot, and it was there. Then, on target number 20, they also showed an extra shot. There was a little confusion. Moreover, I have never shot like this in my life, even when I started shooting.
“It is difficult to believe and even more difficult to accept, especially when your score is counted towards the team total,” she said.
The zero left Sarnobat confronting not just a personal setback but also the possibility that an unexplained incident had compromised her teammates’ medal chances.
“Individually, you can take responsibility for any number of things, possibilities or mistakes because that is our job. But when it affects your fellow shooters as well, it becomes even more difficult to process,” she said.
Sarnobat lodged a protest in accordance with the rules, but the process failed to resolve her doubts. While acknowledging that officials had followed the prescribed procedures, she questioned whether the existing system could conclusively establish what had happened.
“There is a limitation to proving whether whatever they have said is right or wrong. My biggest learning is that it was extremely difficult to continue because it happened in the first series. The competition itself is difficult, but it becomes even harder when something like this happens,” she said.
For a shooter of Sarnobat’s experience, the immediate challenge was to put the controversy aside and finish the competition, even as she remained unconvinced by the evidence presented.
“Staying strong and continuing until the end of the competition was probably the most difficult thing I have ever done. Something like this had never happened to me before, and I was not convinced, not necessarily with the result, but with the rules and the proof presented,” she said.
The incident has also brought the mechanism available to shooters to challenge disputed scoring decisions during competition into focus. Sarnobat believes the process needs to be more effective in addressing concerns and providing clarity when such situations arise.
“If a shooter is questioning the system, especially during a competition, there should be a mechanism to rectify the situation or at least clear the doubts,” she said.
Despite the bitter experience, the 35-year-old is determined not to allow Monday’s ordeal to overshadow the rest of her career. Having won gold at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Sarnobat has several major targets ahead, including the Olympics and the World Championships.
“There are multiple competitions that are equally important before the next Asian Games, like the Olympic Games and the World Championships. There is a lot to achieve and a lot to do.”
“I will definitely get over this, but it is going to take some time,” she said. PTI AM
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