Manu Bhaker, Shriyanka Sadangi, Goldie Gujjar win in Rifle-Pistol trials

New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) Olympian Manu Bhaker returned emphatically to the winner’s circle while Odisha’s Shriyanka Sadangi and Madhya Pradesh’s Goldie Gujjar also scored wins on day five of the National Selection Trials 5 & 6 for Group A Rifle and Pistol shooters.

Taking aim at the Karni Singh Shooting range, here, Manu won the Women’s 25m Pistol T6 final with a score of 39, just one below the world record and after registering a blank in the second five-shot series. Shriyanka took home the Women’s 10m Air Rifle T6 title while Goldie won the Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) T5 competition respectively.

Manu, after reaching the final of the T5 trials a few days back, put the disappointment of not registering a podium in it behind, to first top qualifications with a score of 591 and then registered four perfect fives and an equal number of fours, in the 10 rapid-fire five-shot series final, to leave senior shooter and fellow Olympian Rahi Sarnobat two points behind in second. Rahi’s Maharashtra junior Abhidnya Ashok Patil finished third with 32. The top three followed the same sequence as in qualifications.

In the Men’s 3P T5 competition, Goldie Gujjar also won from pillar to post after topping qualifications with a score of 586 out of a possible 600 and then logging 454.5 to win outright. Himachal’s Surya Pratap Singh Banshtu was second with 453.7 while the Navy’s Niraj Kumar was third with 443.5.

In the final event of the day, the Women’s 10m Air Rifle T6, Odisha’s Shriyanka Sadangi was fourth to qualify with a score of 632.1. However, she led from the start of the final with a brilliant first series of 53 and never looked back. Her 253.1, easily better than T5 winner Ramita’s 252.4. Her Haryana teammate Nancy registered a second consecutive third place finish with posting 230.7. Ramita had topped qualifications.

In the corresponding junior events, Punjab’s Sartaj Tiwana won the Men’s 3P T5, while statemate Simranpreet Kaur Brar won the Women’s 25m Pistol. The Women’s 10m Air Rifle junior T6 was won by Jammu & Kashmir’s Aneesha Sharma. 

--IANS cs