A malfunctioning match button at his firing station disrupted Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh’s concentration during the 50m rifle 3-position final at the Asian Games on Friday, affecting his performance and ending his hopes of winning an individual medal.
Aishwary had made a strong start to the final, producing a solid kneeling series that left him around fourth or fifth position and within contention for a podium finish.
The problem emerged as he began his prone sighters. Unable to operate the match button properly, Aishwary had to step away from the firing line and alert the match referee.
The interruption broke the rhythm and concentration he had established during the opening stage of the final. He subsequently lost valuable points during the prone series, which significantly dented his medal prospects.
The malfunction proved particularly costly as Aishwary had been well placed to challenge for an individual podium finish before the technical issue occurred.
