Shymkent (Kazakhstan), Aug 29 (PTI) - In a remarkable display at the Asian Shooting Championships, young Indian shooter Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu marked his 23rd birthday by clinching the gold in the 25m center fire pistol event. This achievement at the Championships, hosted on Friday, added to India's success in the non-Olympic shooting categories.
Sandhu's outstanding score of 583 (Precision 289, Rapid 294) led him to secure the first senior international medal of his career, following earlier successes with a bronze and a silver in junior world cups in 2018 and 2022. His compatriot, seasoned shooter Gurpreet Singh, finished in fourth place with a score of 579, while Korea's Jaekyoon Lee and Iran's Javad Foroughi picked up the silver and bronze with scores of 580 and 579, respectively.
The Indian team triumphed in the center fire pistol team event as well, with Gurpreet Singh's consistent form earning him another gold the day after his victory in the 25m standard pistol category. Together with Sandhu and Ankur Goel, they achieved an aggregate score of 1733, leaving Vietnam (1720) and Iran (1700) in their wake for the team silver and bronze Medals.
Ankur Mittal Strikes Gold
India's prowess extended to double trap shooting where former world champion Ankur Mittal delivered a stellar performance by scoring 107 to clinch the gold medal. Kazakh shooter Artyom Chikulayev trailed for silver at 98, while Ahmad Alaffasi claimed bronze with 96. Despite Mittal's victory, Team India secured a team bronze with the combined efforts of Mittal, Bhanu Pratap Singh, and Harshvardhan Kaviya, scoring a total of 264.
Manini Bags Bronze
In the women's 50m rifle prone event, young shooter Manini Kaushik achieved her first individual international medal by winning bronze with a score of 617.8. South Korea's Hana Im and Eunseo Lee, who both scored 620.2, took the gold and silver medals. Notably, Manini finished fifth in the standings, but the ranking was adjusted due to certain participants competing in the 'Ranking Points Only' (RPO) category.
Manini's efforts also propelled India to a team silver in the event, supported by teammates Surabhi Bharadwaj and Vinod Vidarsa, with South Korea taking gold and Kazakhstan silver.
In other events, India dominated in the men's 25m junior pistol competition, taking all podium spots with Suraj Sharma securing gold, followed by Abhinav Choudhary and Mukesh Nelavalli with silver and bronze, respectively. Their cumulative performance secured the team gold, overcoming teams from Kazakhstan and South Korea.
Juniors Excel
In junior events, Prachi Gaikwad claimed a silver medal in the women's 50m rifle prone with a score of 616.6, while Sehee Oh of South Korea won gold and Kazakhstan’s Sofya Malkina took bronze. The Indian trio, including Anushka Thokur and Tejal Nathawat, gathered enough points for a team bronze.
Mohammed Hatim delivered a commendable performance, earning a silver medal in the men's junior double trap, followed by Manavrajsinh Chudasama with bronze. Together with Vinay Pratap Singh, their efforts were rewarded with a team gold in the event.
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