Lowndes on target for gold
01 August 2002
Timothy Lowndes of Australia won the gold and set a new Games record in the men's 50m rifle prone singles, with a final score of 104.8.
After coming into the final in third position Lowndes said he was, “absolutely ecstatic to come from third to end up in first place, that’s a great finish in anyone’s book. "I was nervous as hell throughout the whole thing and I had to keep it together. I was pumping some really good tens in, so my confidence is way up there now.” Michael Babb of England took the silver setting a new Games record in the qualification of 597 with a final of 102. Babb said of slipping from first to second place: “I didn’t shoot a particularly good final. I lost my zero which didn’t help but there’s not a lot you can do about it in those circumstances. If you’re not sure where the wind is going to blow it’s difficult to know what corrections to make.” Jaco Henn of South Africa took the bronze with a final score of 101.7 and a qualification of 596. “I’m happy with the bronze medal. Even though the scores weren’t as high as I’d like I was aware Lowndes had gone past me and that no-one would catch him. I found the wind very tricky – it was moving about all over the place from left to right. This makes it more difficult than the ranges we have back in South Africa.” Info News Service/pw/pb/ws
|