Eyes on the Olympics

The country's top shooters fly out for Germany tomorrow to take part in the ISSF 50th World Championships with a hope of securing Olympic quota places as a total of 69 shooters from all 15 events of the championships will directly qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
The eight-member squad includes SA Games gold medalists Sharmin Akhter Ratna, Syeda Sadia Sultana, Sharmin Akhter, Sabrina Sultana and Asif Hossain Khan and Abdullah Hel Baki and Shahriar Chandan.
The championships will get underway in Munich on July 29 and continue till 11th of next month.
Bangladesh usually participate in the Olympics through wild cards provided by the International Olympic Council, but the Bangladeshi shooters never achieved a quota place through tournaments, organised or supervised by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
Bangladesh's achievements in international arena came through the rifle events, especially the 10m air rifle event, and all seven Bangladeshi participants will participate in that event though Sabrina and Chandan will also feature in the rifle events of 50m three position and prone three position respectively apart from their favourite event.
Nevertheless, the focus will be on Ratna, who followed up her SA Games double with gold medal in the Commonwealth Shooting pairing with Sadia, but the promising shooter has been going through up and down since her last international achievement.
Ratna lost her 10m air rifle national crown to Sabrina but bounced back strongly to win the same event in the recently concluded air gun championship.
However, Ratna has been doing well in the practice sessions and once shot 399 out of 400, eclipsing her previous best of 398, set in the SA Games.
"When you score your highest, it makes you believe you can do it again and certainly it will inspire me," Ratna said, "I don't know what result waits for me in the championships but I will try my best to get a ticket for the Olympics."
Asif has also been continuing with inconsistency since the SA Games feat as the 2002 Commonwealth gold medalist won gold in his favourite 10m air rifle event during the air gun championship with a poor score of 689.8.
He thinks it is possible to secure an Olympic quota place with a score of 596 to 597 out of 600, but the reality is that his average score in practice is between 592-593.
Asif said he would try to regain his best score of 596 he had made during the SA Games at home.
Veteran shooter Sabrina believes it is almost impossible for them to win a medal in Munich and the experience they will gain from the championships will make their task easy in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India.
Coach Shoebuzzaman was also not much optimistic about the shooters.
"Our shooters are far away from the ones who are taking part in the championships and we should not expect any extraordinary results from them. But I hope they will keep their momentum of the practice," said the former shooter.
Not only through the 2010 ISSF World Championships, quota places for Olympics will also be distributed through the 2011 edition of the championships, ISSF World Cups 2011, and Continental Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the shooting federation plans to send shooters in all tournaments in a bid to earn quota places for Olympics.
Of the eight shooters, the National Shooting Federation of Bangladesh is bearing expenses for two -- Ratna and Sadia -- as per its executive committee meeting decision while Chittagong Rifles Club and Group4 are sponsoring Asif and Sharmin respectively. Sabrina, Baki and Chandan will tour at their own cost.