Heena Sidhu Meets NRAI After Manu Bhaker Makes Mixed Team Cut
Heena Sidhu claims Manu Bhaker was shown favouritism but Bhaker has been in top form this year.
Ignored for the Asian Games mixed team air pistol event, an upset Heena Sidhu met the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Raninder Singh on Sunday.
The former world number one and Commonwealth Games gold medallist shooter Sidhu had claimed that the selection committee was bending the rules for "favouring their favourites".
According to Sidhu, the NRAI's selection committee tweaked their policy and flouted selection criteria by including young pistol shooter Manu Bhaker in the Asian Games and World Championships squads, despite her not meeting the selection requirement.
Bhaker's inclusion reportedly pushed Sidhu to No. 2 in the 10m air pistol event and No. 3 in 25m sports pistol, from No. 1 in the 10m air pistol and No. 2 in 25m pistol. The new rankings mean Heena cannot shoot in the 10m mixed event and is excluded from the 25m pistol team. However, Sidhu will be competing in the air pistol individual event along with Bhaker.
However, Manu Bhaker has been on a roll this season, winning an individual gold with a world record score in the 10m air pistol event at the ISSF Junior World Cup last week. She also beat Heena to the gold in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Just this year, Manu had won seven individual gold medals at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) events, setting world records thrice.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)