Rahi Sarnobat Triumphs in Women's 25m Pistol Finals at National Selection Trials
Rahi Sarnobat Shines at National Selection Trials
file image of Asian Games champion Rahi Sarnobat(Photo: @san_x_m/X)
New Delhi, June 8: Rahi Sarnobat, a former champion at the Asian Games, showcased an impressive performance by winning the women’s 25m pistol T4 finals during the National Selection Trials 4 for Group A Rifle and Pistol shooters. This event took place at the Trishul Shooting Range located in Maharana Pratap Sports College, Dehradun, on Monday.
In the finals, Olympian Rahi demonstrated her skill and composure, finishing with a total of 37 hits to secure the first position with ease. Manu Bhaker, a two-time Olympic medalist, followed closely to claim the silver medal with 35 hits, while Divya T.S. from Karnataka earned the bronze with 29 hits.
Niveditha V. Nair from Tamil Nadu finished in fourth place with 24 hits, and Olympian Rhythm Sangwan came in fifth with 22 hits. Arshdeep Kaur from Punjab took sixth with 18 hits, while Maharashtra’s Abhidnya Ashok Patil secured seventh with 13 hits. Chinki Yadav from Madhya Pradesh, who led the qualifiers with a score of 586-22x, ended up in eighth place with just nine hits.
During the qualification round, Manu Bhaker achieved second place with a score of 584-16x. Rahi Sarnobat and Arshdeep Kaur finished third and fourth, respectively, both scoring 579-20x and 579-18x. Niveditha V. Nair qualified fifth with a score of 579-12x. Rhythm Sangwan and Divya T.S. both scored 578-16x, with Sangwan ranked higher due to countback. Abhidnya Patil secured the last qualifying position with 576-15x.
In the national rankings, Esha Singh, the world record holder and ISSF World Cup 2026 Munich gold medalist, retained her top position despite not competing in the trials. Manu Bhaker remains in second place, while Rahi has moved up to third, swapping places with Divya, who is now in fourth. Rhythm stays in fifth, and Chinki Yadav has climbed from ninth to sixth following her performance in the qualifiers.
The T4 Rifle/Pistol trials are crucial for the upcoming Asian Games, where 15 male and 15 female shooters will represent India across 28 shooting events in Aichi-Nagoya later this year. The shotgun team has already been finalized, while the rifle and pistol teams will be determined after the ongoing trials.
Action will continue on Tuesday with four finals scheduled, including the men’s and women’s 10m air pistol events and the men’s and women’s 50m rifle 3-position competitions.