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Heena strikes 25m pistol gold; Annu, Chain, Narang falter (Shooting Roundup)
Gold Coast, April 10 (IANS) Heena Sidhu won gold in the women’s 25 metre Pistol event, while Chain Singh and Gagan Narang failed to ensure any medals in the men’s 50m Rifle Prone event on a mixed day for Indian shooters at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Tuesday.
Heena, who finished third in the qualifier, notched up a new CWG record of 38 points in the final to take the title in style. Another Indian in this event, Annu Singh finished sixth with a below-par performance that gave her 15 points as she exited after six series.
In the men’s 50m Rifle Prone, Chain finished fourth with a score of 204.8 points in the final round. Gagan was second from bottom in the eight-man final with 142.3.
Heena’s medal was India’s eighth — including three golds — in the shooting discipline as she bagged her second medal here after her silver medal win in the 10m air pistol on Sunday.
She finished ahead of Australian Elena Galiabovitch, who scored 35 to take silver while Malaysia’s Alia Sazana Azahari got bronze with 26.
Elena was the fastest off the blocks in the final and Heena was trailing behind the Australian till the fifth series.
Heena did well to close the gap by scoring with all her five shots in the fifth series before another perfect score in the sixth saw her take the joint lead.
The Indian took sole lead after the first shot in the seventh series and subsequently increased the gap.
With a two-point lead at the end of the seventh series, Heena found the target in four of the five shots in the eighth to be ahead by three points.
Although the Australian managed to close the gap by one point in the ninth series, Heena held her nerves in the 10th and final series to emerge champion.
Other shooting medal hopes, Chain and 2012 Olympic medallist Gagan were not at their best. Chain was 21.8 points behind bronze medallist Kenneth Parr of England.
David Phelps of Wales won the gold medal with a new CWG record of 248.8. Neil Stirton of Scotland took silver with 247.7.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.