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The story till thenIndia sent its biggest shooting contingent to an Olympic Games in Athens 2004. Eight direct qualifications, instead of the three sent to Sydney in 2000, which had included two hardship wildcards. Of these the most invisible performer among them was Major Rajyavardhan Rathore, a serving army officer from the Nine Grenadiers who went about his Olympic campaign like it were a military mission. For the previous two years, he had spent no more than four months with his family as he trained and competed on sports ministry grants, which he earned by personally filling out government forms in quadruplicate. In the 18 months before Athens, he made the finals in every event he competed in, winning a bronze medal at the World Shotgun Championship in 2003 in Cyprus. When Athens arrived, he was ranked No. 3 in the world.The moment Out in an eastern Athenian suburb, Rathore was one of three Indians to make a 2004 Olympic final in four days, aware that the previous two, Anjali Bhagwat and Abhinav Bindra, had not bagged any medals. He was fifth of the six finalists, nine shots behind the leader, Ahmed Al Maktoum of the UAE, three behind the No. 2 finalist, Hakan Dahlby of Sweden. After three rounds of 50 shots each in the qualifiers, the final was one last round of 50 shots. Al Maktoum was very far ahead, but in the final round, Rathore was to come into his own. He soaked up the pressure, swallowing the lead of the rest of the finalists, scoring 44 out of 50. As other candidates fell aside, defeated by nerves, Rathores final two shots were to seal Indias first individual silver at the Olympics. While Maktoums Olympic record was being celebrated, the Indians at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre were to recognise in Rathores raised fist a sense of a mission completed.The reaction I may have appeared calm inside, but I was dying a thousand deaths out there. - Rajyavardhan RathoreExpert view Rathore changed me. His silver ensured that gold became my possibility. - Abhinav Bindra, Olympic shooting gold medallistThe story since Rathores silver medal led to a surge in shooting across the country, in national and international competitions. Within two years of his silver, India won its first World Shooting Championship titles in Zagreb 2006 - for Manavjit Singh Sandhu in trap shooting and Abhinav Bindra in the 10m air rifle. Rathore failed to make the shooting squad for the 2012 London Olympics. The following year he left the army to join active politics. He was elected MP for the Jaipur Rural constituency in 2014 and currently serves as minister for state for Information and Broadcasting. His son Manavaditya is now a competitive shooter, who won a trap gold in the International Junior Shotgun Cup held in Finland this May.David Freitas Jersey . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Bj Surhoff Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. 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Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge.CHICAGO -- Miguel Montero delivered a memorable swing, Javier Baez stole home with his daring dash down the line and Jon Lester turned in another steady performance on the mound.It all added up to another dramatic victory for the Chicago Cubs, who are off and running in the NL Championship Series.Montero snapped an eighth-inning tie with the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history, and Chicago beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 in the opener Saturday night, moving the Cubs a step closer to their first pennant in 71 years.We hang in there, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. We dont give up.Game 2 is Sunday night, with the Dodgers once again in need of a clutch performance from ace Clayton Kershaw. Major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks pitches for the Cubs, chasing their first World Series title since 1908.Lester pitched six effective innings, and Dexter Fowler homered after making two diving catches in center field -- breaking his belt on the second grab. Left fielder Ben Zobrist threw out Adrian Gonzalez at the plate, helping Chicago to its first NLCS victory in 13 years.The Cubs pulled out 14 of their major league-best 103 wins this season in their final at-bat. They added two more in the Division Series against playoff-tested San Francisco, including a four-run ninth in the clinching Game 4.And now, this.Weve kind of proved we can overcome adversity in the game, slugger Kris Bryant said.Chicago was swept by the New York Mets in last years NLCS. Lester & Co. are back again and already in better shape following a crazy eighth inning.In the top half, Gonzalez tied it at 3 with a two-out, two-run single off Aroldis Chapman.Zobrist hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning before pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan was intentionally walked with runners at first and second and two outs, bringing up Chapmans spot in the batting order.That was the right thing to do, Maddon said. I probably would have done the same thing.Maddon sent up Montero, who drove an 0-2 slider from loser Joe Blanton halfway up the right-field bleachers for his first hit of the playoffs.I trust Joe. Ive trusted him all year long. Hes been great for us, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Left a pitch up. ... It just didnt work out.The crowd of 42,376 at Wrigley Field roared as Montero rounded the bases and kept cheering until the veteran catcher popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.I never even thought I was going to hit at that point, Montero said. To be honest, I thought Maddon put me out there just to bring the lefty and get (Willson) Contreras to pinch-hit for me, and they didnt bring the lefty for Contreras.Fowler homered on the next pitch as the Cubs rebounded quickly from a shaky bullpen performance. Hector Rondon allowed Andrew Toles RBI double in the ninth before Chase Utley lined into a game-ending double play.Chapman retired Yasmani Grandal on an inning-ending groundout in the eighth and was credited with the win.Well be ready tomorrow, Gonzalez said. This game gave us a lot of confidence. We know we can beat them.Lester and Baez helped Chicago to a 3-1 lead after seven. But the Dodgers rallied in the eighth, prompting Maddonn to go to Chapman with the bases loaded and no outs.ddddddddddddThe lefty struck out Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig before Gonzalez lined a 102 mph fastball back up the middle. A pumped-up Gonzalez celebrated at first base after delivering Los Angeles first hit in 12 at-bats with the bases loaded in these playoffs.But everything changed in the bottom half, leaving both managers to answer for several difficult decisions. Lester was replaced by a pinch hitter after just 77 pitches, and the intentional walk to Coghlan put the go-ahead run at third.A lot of that stuff was preplanned, Maddon said. You look for situations. Youre looking for the right matchups. But you dont know what hes going to do. ... You have to be able to react.Andre Ethier had a pinch-hit homer for Los Angeles, helped by a strong wind going out to left and left-center on a warm night at Wrigley Field. Kenta Maeda lasted just four innings in his fourth straight shaky outing dating to the regular season.The last time Kershaw was on the mound, he got two outs for the save in Los Angeles clinching Game 5 win at Washington on Thursday night. The taxing final victory over the Nationals left Roberts with few options for the NLCS opener, and the Cubs jumped on Maeda for three runs in the first two innings.There were a lot of pitches I left over the plate that they took advantage of, Maeda said through a translator.Bryant drove in Fowler with an RBI double in the first. Baez, one of the breakout stars of this years postseason, added his own run-scoring double in the second, on a blooper into center over a drawn-in infield.Baez was on third with one out when he initially broke for the plate with Lester squaring to bunt. Lester didnt get the bunt down, and catcher Carlos Ruiz threw to third baseman Justin Turner. Baez hesitated, then kept going toward the plate. He slid in safely before Ruiz could get the tag on him.Baez became the second player to steal home for the Cubs in a postseason game, joining Jimmy Slagle in Game 4 of the 1907 World Series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.It was a safety squeeze. I went a little too early and I saw I couldnt get back, Baez said. This is the big leagues and a rundown is too easy, so I kept going.HISTORIC SLAMMonteros drive was the first go-ahead grand slam by a pinch hitter in postseason history. Mark Lewis and Ricky Ledee were the other pinch hitters to sock a playoff grand slam. Lewis connected for the Cincinnati Reds in a 1995 Division Series against the Dodgers. Ledee went deep for the New York Yankees in the 1999 ALCS vs. Boston.UP NEXTDodgers: Kershaw pitched in all three Dodgers wins during the Division Series. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 playoff appearances, including 12 starts.Cubs: Hendricks, who went 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA this season, makes his fourth career playoff start. He left his Division Series start against San Francisco after taking a line drive off his right forearm.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '