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RIO -- At first glance, it is a mildly comical sight. Grown men, lying flat on their tummies, perching up wth a rifle in hand. However, the Prone event is seriously tough business. A competitor has to stay 50 minutes in that posture to get 60 shots across to a target placed 50 metres away. The centre of the target is positioned 0.75 metres above the floor.The diameter of the target is breathtakingly tiny at 154.4 millimetres but get this, that isnt what the shooters aim for. The fourth ring within that target is 106.4 millimetres and just because somehow that isnt challenging enough to shoot at, the tenth ring, where a shot can be worth 10.9 points measures 10.4 millimetres.The security checks at the Olympic shooting range were slower than usual so by the time I walked in on Friday morning, Gagan Narang was already through the first three series of the qualifying rounds. 104.7. 104.4. 104.6. Steady, consistent scores and while he wouldnt have known with the scoreboard placed behind the shooters, he was snapping at the heels of the early leaders. The intention at this point was to finish among the top eight, with the scores from this stage of the competition being discarded in the final.Narang, in his fourth Olympics, was at the extreme right end of the field of 47 shooters, with only two others farther away. For most of his career Narang was primarily a 10m Air Rifle shooter - he won his Olympic bronze in London in 2012 in this category. But since those Games he turned his attention to Prone as a neck injury forced him out of contention in the Air Rifle. The differences in the two competitions are significant.Besides the obvious ones that the shooter stands in the Air Rifle and lies down in Prone and shoots over 10m in the Air Rifle and 50m in the Prone, there are other major adjustments to make. The Air Rifle can not weigh more than 5.5 kilograms while the one used in Prone can be up to 8 kilograms in weight. The nature of the ammunition too varies, with the Prone using a 0.22 inch caliber bullet while the Air Rifle is shot with 0.177 inch pellet. The Air Rifle is indoors and hence competed in a controlled environment. Prone is outdoors and shooters are expected to conquer elements such as windy conditions and extreme weather.Now to us casual observers, that sounds like a bunch of gobbledygook but for those in the business of shooting, to master these vastly different skill sets is a massive challenge. Narang had to because of his injury and made encouraging progress. At the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow, he won silver in the event and earned his quota place for the Rio games in Prone too. So even when he squandered a strong start in the 10m Air Rifle qualification earlier in the week to finish in 23rd place, Narang didnt let his shoulders droop.He knew he had his new baby to fall back on.Series four begins and the first blip appears on Narangs radar. 103. The knowledgeable heads seated alongside me start to get a bit shifty. Frayed nerves are settled as series five is recorded at 104. Ten shots to go and this should be in the bag. Five more and Narang is in seventh spot. And then, he experiences his Jitu Rai moment. Just like his pistol colleague who floundered at about the same stage in his event, the wind picks up and Narang lets the shot go that would kill him.9.5There is an audible gasp. He needs a sizzling finish to recover now but it doesnt come. Lower 10s end his series at 102.4. On a cumulative score of 623.1, Narang tumbles to 13th. German Henri Junhaenel would qualify on 624.8. Only 1.7 points when you read a colourless scoresheet, in shooting parlance the margin between elite and the also rans.Narang is a broken man as he stands up to examine the ruins of his day. A quiet conversation with his coach, an exasperated waft through his hair, hands on hips, he stares blankly into the distance as the range starts to empty out.Shot 56. 9.5. Goddamn it. This micro second of a moment will return to his dreams for years.I gave my best, I gave it all I had, he tells us quote seekers. I will have to go back and think what exactly happened. I will have to run it through my mind again.At 33, Narang is no stranger to combating gut-wrenching disappointments. He does stoic easily at most times but one senses that on this day, his spirit is broken. He leaves sentences incomplete, he speaks in a soft, near inaudible voice, he struggles to count the positives.He watches the final later, ironically won by Junhaenel, the German who qualified in eighth spot. 1.7 points ahead of Narang.That 9.5. Goddamn it.I would like to shoot more, he wearily tells us. This is definitely not the end for me. Cheap Carlos Zambrano Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Cheap Greg Maddux Jersey . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.cheapcubsjerseysshop.com/?tag=cheap-billy-williams-jersey . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Cheap Fergie Jenkins Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have claimed wide receiver Michael Floyd off waivers one day after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals.Floyds agent Brian Murphy confirmed the move in an email.Floyd, Arizonas first-round draft pick in 2012, was released by the team two days after he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and failure to obey a police officer.The 6-foot-2 220-pound receiver gives Tom Brady a big, experienced target. Floyd was having a down season, but had five 100-yard receiving games last season.Floyd had 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns with the Cardinals this season, but had several critical drops.The Patriots have been hit by injuries to their receiving group, including star tight end Rob Gronkowski.A couple of hours before New England made the move, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald made his first public comments about the Cardinals decision to release his good friend.I cant give you my true feeling because ppeople might get upset with what I really feel, but Mike is like my brother, Fitzgerald said.dddddddddddd Ive known Mike since he was 13 years old; we come from the same place. I love him dearly.Both players are from Minneapolis.Like any other family member, I never turn my back on him no matter what, Fitzgerald said. Im going to support him.He said hed met with Floyd on Wednesday and planned to do so again on Thursday.Fitzgerald said Floyd was going to be a great pickup for whoever lands him.Youve got a young guy whos hungry, hes eager to make plays on a contract year, Fitzgerald said. Hes got a chip on his shoulder now, not that he didnt already have one, but hes got a bigger one -- and I hope he goes and makes a deep playoff run.A short time later, the Patriots made their move.--For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL. ' ' '