Synopsis
Sonam Uttam Maskar and Neeraj Kumar excelled at the National Selection Trials for Rifle/Pistol, showcasing exceptional shooting skills at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. Sonam topped the women's event, while Neeraj surprised everyone by defeating top contenders in the men's final.Key Takeaways
- Sonam Uttam Maskar wins women's 10m air rifle T1 final.
- Neeraj Kumar claims victory in men's 25m rapid-fire pistol T2 final.
- High competition with Olympians featured in qualification rounds.
- Maharashtra shooters dominate podium finishes.
- Manu Bhaker continues her strong performance in women's 25m pistol T2.
New Delhi, Feb 11 (NationPress) Shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar from the Railways and Neeraj Kumar from the Army claimed victory on Day Four of the Rifle/Pistol National Selection Trials (Group A), taking place at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR) in the National Capital Region of Delhi on Tuesday.
Sonam, who secured three ISSF medals last year, achieved a score of 253.2 in the women’s 10m air rifle T1 final, surpassing national champion Ananya Naidu from Maharashtra, who finished with 1.3 points less.
On the other hand, Neeraj Kumar made headlines by defeating the Paris Olympics contenders Anish and Vijayveer Sidhu in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) T2 final, earning the gold while relegating them to silver and bronze.
Earlier, Sonam displayed excellent form in the 60-shot qualification round, leading with a score of 633.9. Olympians Elavenil Valarivan (2nd with 632.6) and Ayonika Paul (7th with 630.4) also made it to the final eight alongside national champion Ananya (5th with 632.1).
Despite the competition, Sonam started the final with an impressive 10.7 and maintained her lead. Ananya was the only contender close to her, trailing by just 0.4 points at the 16-shot mark before Sonam surged ahead. Maharashtra celebrated a double podium finish as Arya Rajesh Borse secured third place.
Meanwhile, everything seemed on track for Anish, who led the men’s RFP T2 qualification with a remarkable score of 590, seemingly on course for a consecutive trials victory. Raajwardan Patil from Maharashtra was second with 584, followed by Vijayveer with 580, while Neeraj was fourth with a less impressive 579.
However, in the final, Neeraj demonstrated incredible skill, scoring a perfect 5 in each of the first three series of rapid-fire shots. Another perfect score in the sixth series left him with no dropped points for half of the final. He concluded with three scores of 4, stunning Anish, who ended three points behind with 31. Vijayveer secured the bronze.
Manu continues her impressive form
Double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker continued her remarkable performance upon returning to competitive shooting, leading after Round One of qualification in the women’s 25m pistol T2 event with a fantastic score of 297 out of 300 in the first precision round. The second rapid-fire round and finals are scheduled for Wednesday.
