Lima [Peru], April 20 : It was Super Saturday at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage in Lima, Peru, with both the individual 10m air rifle finals on schedule and India's two-day quest for a fifth medal found a response in Arjun Babuta, who probably exorcised the ghosts of the Paris Olympic final where he finished fourth, with a classy silver.
The Indian fell only to China's, probably the greatest of all time and reigning Olympic champion, Olympic and world record holder, Sheng Lihao, by the narrowest margin of 0.1.
Hungarian ace Istvan Peni, with over 40 ISSF medals to his name, won bronze in a world-class finals field that included all Olympians except India's former world champion Rudrankksh Patil, as well as the Paris silver medalist and reigning world champion Victor Lindgren of Sweden, besides Sheng.
India could have had a shot at a second podium but Rudrankksh was unfortunately docked his 11th shot by the Jury because of a technical mistake and the Indian bowed out at the first elimination stage without firing the 12th single shot.
Earlier on a day when he shot consistently high throughout, a few sub-par shots during the final series curtailed Arjun Babuta's qualification tally to 631.9 in the first relay, which Sheng topped with an effortless 635.0. World championship medalist Jon-Hermann Hegg of Norway was second with a 632.6.
In the second, Rudrankksh shot 632.0 to top it and finish third overall, with Lindgren coming second, taking the fifth qualifying spot behind Arjun. Peni, Rylan Kissel of the United States and Norway's Halvorsen completed a classy final line-up with seven nations lining up for gold. Hriday Hazarika, the third Indian in contention, missed out in 10th with a 629.3.
Both Arjun and Rudrankksh began the final with identical 10.1 shots and were consistently in touch with the lead group, which in the early stages comprised Hegg, Peni and Sheng.
Arjun then stepped up his game and by the end of the 10th was in third, breathing down Hegg and Peni's neck as Rudrankksh looked to take the battle to Sheng.
To his credit, Arjun remained focused after Rudrankksh's shock exit and took the lead for the first time after the 14th shot.
As Hegg then wilted, Sheng renewed his charge with a series of 10.5,10.6,10.5 and then finally a first 10.9 for his 16th to position himself right behind Arjun.
Again, to his credit, not once did Arjun go in the 9s in the entire final and with two shots of the 24 remaining, he was 0.3 ahead. The champion, however, unleashed his second 10.9 when it mattered most, reversing the 0.3 deficit to his favour, and a 10.5 by Arjun to close fell short as Sheng closed with a 10.3.
Arjun's final shots: 10.1,10.5,10.2,10.7,10.7,10.6,10.8,10.5,10.7,10.6,10.5,10.4,10.5,10.3,10.5,10.6,10.5,10.5,10.4,10.6,10.6,10.3,10.5.
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