Strong Performances Mark Day One of National Shooting Trials
Highlights from the National Selection Trials
The opening day of the Rifle/Pistol National Selection Trials 1 and 2 (Group A) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range showcased impressive performances, particularly in the 50m rifle prone events. Rajasthan's Manini Kaushik and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, a silver medalist at the world championships in the 50m rifle 3P, emerged as leaders in their respective categories during Selection Trial 1.
Manini Kaushik Dominates Women's Event
Manini Kaushik secured the top position in the women's 50m rifle prone T1 with a score of 625.0, demonstrating a steady and balanced performance across her series: 104.7, 104.2, 102.3, 104.6, 104.2, and 105. Karnataka's Tilottama Sen followed closely in second place with 622.6, while Kerala's Vidarsa K Vinod took third with 622.0. The competition was fierce, with only 0.4 points separating the fifth to eighth places. Jharkhand's Supriya Kumari finished fourth at 621.7, ahead of the Army Marksmanship Unit's current national champion Priya, who scored 620.7. Rounding out the top eight were Haryana's Nischal (620.6), Madhya Pradesh's Ashi Chouksey (620.5), and Punjab's shooter (620.4).
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar Leads Men's Field
In the men's 50m rifle prone Trials 1, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar asserted his dominance with a score of 629.6. The national champion in 50m 3P achieved a strong start and maintained control throughout, finishing with a comfortable lead of 3.2 points, with series scores of 105.3, 105.4, 105.7, 104.9, 103.7, and 104.6. Former world champion Akhil Sheoran secured second place with 626.4, while current national champion Swapnil Kusale came in third with 625.3. Army shooters Nishan Budha (623.8) and Chain Singh (622.9) followed in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Completing the top eight were Navy's Nikhil Tanwar (621.9), Army's Babu Singh Panwar (621.6), and Navy's Niraj Kumar (620.6).
Update on 25m Rapid Fire Pistol
In the first trial of the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Navy's Omkar Singh leads after Stage 1 of qualification with a score of 295-14x. Rajasthan's Bhavesh Shekhawat and Uttar Pradesh's Ankur Goel are in second and third places with scores of 292-9x and 291-10x, respectively. World Championship silver medalist Anish Bhanwala is currently in seventh place with a score of 286-12x.
The second stage and T1 finals are scheduled for Tuesday, alongside the finals for the 50m Rifle 3 Positions (T1) for both men and women, as well as the T2 finals for the 50m rifle prone events.