With gold in Lima, Suruchi throws a challenge to Manu

At the start of the 10m air pistol final at the World Cup in Lima, cameras panned on Manu Bhaker, easily the biggest name in the draw.

- Shantanu Srivastava

NEW DELHI: Her face betrayed little emotion, barring a smile that she had dutifully practised in all her years of being in the spotlight. Suruchi Phogat, her compatriot and competitor, was at the other end of the spectrum—raw, unrehearsed, spontaneous. Their shooting ended up being a reflection of their demeanour.

Bhaker shot with assured precision, but Phogat fired with the courage that youth begets. Five lanes apart, this was a contest within the contest, the young challenger eager to take down the veteran who happened to be the two-time Olympic medallist. Twenty-four shots later, and for the second time in as many weeks, Phogat proved that her sharp rise was no fluke.

The 18-year-old from Haryana's Jhajjar district followed her gold medal in Buenos Aires with another top finish, overcoming a strong charge from Bhaker, among others. "It doesn't matter who I am shooting against. For me, the only competition is with myself," she would later say.

Phogat shot a solid 243.6—bookended by rather sub-par 9.7s—followed by Bhaker (242.3) and China's upcoming 20-year-old Yao Qianxun (219.5). The other Chinese in the eight-shooter final, 19-year-old Yufei Meng, led the field after first 10 shots but two ordinary scores in the third sequence pushed her down.