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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. Yeezy Boost 700 Bestellen .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Adidas NMD Goedkoop .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. http://www.nmdbelgie.com/kopen-adidas-nmd-dames-sale/nmd-R1-dames.html . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Yeezy Boost 350 v3 Belgie . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Adidas Zx Flux Kopen . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Im a 15-year-old girl who likes reality TV.Let the stereotypes fly. I take selfies. I have a short attention span. And my phone is never far away.That was all true this past August as my family settled around the table. American Ninja Warrior was on the TV in the background, but I had dinner in front of me, conversation left and right, and social media at my fingertips.And then Jessie Graff appeared on the television screen.Phone down. Food down.Other than the Seattle Seahawks, sports dont usually stop me in my tracks. I will always root for the red, white and blue, but I didnt pay much attention when the U.S. womens soccer team won the World Cup last year. I adored the Final Five in Rio, but the Olympic Games came and went.But every time I see her taking on another ninja course, Graff gives me goose bumps.She has inspired me since her very first run on American Ninja Warrior. Like fellow female competitors Kacy Catanzaro and Meagan Martin, Graff has competed side by side with men on prime-time TV, opening doors and minds about what female athletes can accomplish. And Graff has shown she can do things that no woman has done before.Thats what happened Aug. 30. All in less than 2 minutes, 20 seconds.It was the opening night of the American Ninja Warrior national finals in Las Vegas, and as Graff stepped up for her turn at the course, the crowd chanted like she was a rock star -- and my entire family was on the edge of our seats.The Propeller Bar and Giant Log Grip barely slowed her down, Graff plowing through the obstacles like Marshawn Lynch going Beast Mode on the rest of the NFL.The Jumping Spider was up next, an obstacle very few women have gotten through. Even before Graff launched herself into the narrow gap, my family was captivated. We yelled at the TV to cheer her on, my 17-year-old brother and stepdad as loud and as excited as me and my mom.Part of the reason I like Graff so much is because shes smooth with her runs. Even the smallest mistake on any given obstacle can derail a competitor. Graff almost made it look easy.ddddddddddddAt that point, I knew that she could complete the stage. But the Warped Wall -- my favorite obstacle -- awaited, and no woman had ever gotten past it on Stage 1.As Graff closed the fingers of her right hand over the rim at the top of the wall, I knew we were witnessing history in the making. As she flew through the air on the Flying Squirrel, she looked every bit the superheroes she often dresses up as.And by the time she climbed up the cargo net, I was on my feet, too, screaming as Graff cracked a smile. She stepped onto the platform and proudly and emphatically pushed the buzzer -- with over 12 seconds to spare -- to become the first woman to complete Stage 1. She placed fourth overall, ahead of many other top ninjas.We were in awe for the rest of the night. The only thing that would have made it better was if NBC had put Graffs run on a permanent loop.Ive since read that Graff hopes her achievements help others realize theyre stronger than they think and capable of achieving more than they ever imagined.Not only is she helping pave the way for more and more women to be ninja warriors, Graff empowers everyone -- young girls, men, women -- to work out more, to find fitness fun or maybe even channel your inner superhero. And someday I want to try out for American Ninja Warrior.Thats the power of Jessie Graff.Some people buy into the stereotype that women cant be strong athletes, but she has proven thats not true.Women can be athletes. Women can be whatever they want. Even superheroes.More on Jessie Graff? Graff becomes first woman to complete Stage 1 Story ?? Graff and her unfinished business Story ?? Graff has historic night on American Ninja Warrior Story ?? Life of a Ninja Warrior Video ?The IMPACT25 is espnWs annual list of the 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest difference for women in sports. Explore the 2016 list and more content at espnW.com/IMPACT25. ' ' '