Pakistan’s Bashir exits Rio in second stage

Shooter finishes 18th among 26 shooters, fails to make it to final round

KARACHI: Pakistani shooter Ghulam Mustafa Bashir is out of the Olympics medal race as he finished 18th among 26 shooters yesterday in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event, where only the top six qualified for the final round at the Rio Olympics.

Bashir scored 287 points in the first stage to finish at the 17th spot on Friday, while he had 284 points after the second stage to finish with a combined score of 571.

Germany's Christian Reitz finished at the top with 592 points and Cuba's Leuris Pupo was the sixth contestant to qualify with 583 points.



The 28-year-old shooter was unable to equal his national record score of 578 points on which he gained qualification for the Olympics on continental quota basis.

Bashir said that although he tried his best, he fell short of his goal. “I scored just seven points less than my record, which I believe is not that bad,” he told The Express Tribune after the event. “Playing away from home does result in a different level in performance. Altogether, I’m happy that I made it to Rio through qualification and not a wild card, which is a big achievement.”

He added that if shooters at home are given training throughout the year with professional coaches, then more shooters will be able to qualify for the next Olympics.