India's Olympic wrap-up: Gowda qualifies for discus final, but shooters disappoint

Vikas Gowda qualified for the men's discus throw final round without much fuss, but Indian shooters, including 10m air rifle bronze winner Gagan Narang, were eliminated in the preliminaries at the Olympic Games here today.

The US-based Gowda hurled the disc 20 cms beyond the automatic qualification standard of 65m in only his second throw to enter the finals to be held on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old's throw was the fifth best, and the top throw in Group A, in the two-group qualifying rounds and, with a personal best of 66.28 under his belt, he has raised hopes of climbing the medal podium.

Gowda, who started with a modest effort of 63.52m before breaching the automatic qualifying mark, has joined a select list of seven Indian athletes to have made it to the finals in track and field events at the world's greatest sports extravaganza.

Iran's Ehsan Hadadi was just behind Gowda with a throw of 65.19m in his group and the finals are scheduled for 7:45pm local time (Wednesday morning 12.15am IST).

Gowda is also only the second Indian to make the finals in track and field at the ongoing Games after Krishna Poonia, who eventually finished seventh in women's discus throw.

The other four Indians to make it to the final rounds. since "Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh pioneered the way in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the men's 400m, were Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (110m hurdles, 1964), Sriram Singh (800m, Montreal), P T Usha (400m hurdles, 1984) and Anju Bobby George (Long Jump, 2004).

Away from the track and field scene, the shooters came a cropper and the list included Gagan Narang, who had opened the medal chest for India on July 30 at these Games in the men's 10m air rifle in which he won a bronze.