Elimination format interesting, says Rahi Sarnobat

PUNE: Rahi Sarnobat, India's first World Cup gold medallist in pistol shooting, considers the new elimination final introduced by the world shooting federation (ISSF) to be fair because it doesn't allow an athlete carry forward the advantage of one match to the next.
"The (qualifying) match and the finals are two different competitions. It's like in tennis or any other sport, you win one round and start the next anew," Sarnobat, who won the sport pistol event in Korea in April, said.
The new format was first introduced in the rapid fire (men's 25m) pistol event last year and has been adopted in all other events from this season. In the latest version, shooters' qualifying scores are discarded and they start the finals from zero.
As a result, there have been instances where a marksman who shot a world record score in qualifying had been the first one to be eliminated in the finals.
Sarnobat, who shot in London Olympics last year, said that was only appropriate.
"Steve Darcis defeated Rafael Nadal, should he be given advantage in the next round because he beat a Grand Slam champion," the diminutive shooter from Kolhapur claimed.
"No, because it's a new match. I really like it."
Looking back at the Olympics, Sarnobat said she could have done better.
"I was so much into the competition I didn't realise, I didn't understand, what was happening. I was focussed on my technique, later I realised that I need to look around, the light, the atmosphere, etc.
"In London, the light was different. I should have changed my filter, but I was concentrating on my technique and I didn't."
Post-London, the 22-year-old has made a complete overhaul of her shooting. She has changed her technique, grip, triggering, et al. There is a change in her mindset as well.
"Till the Olympics I was looking to shoot 581. Now I have been shooting above 580, so I have set the goal as 585," she said.
Did she expect to win the gold in Korea?
"Even last year when I was discussing with mental trainer Vaibhav Agashe, he said that I should target two World Cup medal this year. So, I was not 100 per cent sure, but I knew I was capable."
The Munich World Cup last month taught her another important thing: Take a break when you have to take one.
"I had been away from home for more than one month and I was mentally tired. There was also a long journey, from the US to Germany. I just wanted to finish with the tournament," she said.
"Heena (Sidhu) decided to return home and train here. I thought it was not a big deal and trained at the camp in Hanover. It was a good atmosphere where many medal winners from other countries were present, but I was tired."
The scores were there to see. Sarnobat shot 573 while Heena, competing in air pistol, qualified with the second best score of 389. She was eliminated in the finals early, though.
For Sarnobat, the journey has just begun.