Rahi Sarnobat, Manu Bhaker, Parth Makhija among winners at National Shooting trials

By IANS

NEW DELHI: Reigning Asian Games champion Rahi Sarnobat won the Women’s 25M Pistol T1 trials even as young Parth Makhija registered a unique double winning both the Men’s and Junior Men’s 10M Air Rifle competitions at Bhopal’s MP State Shooting Academy range, as the National Shooting trials one and two completed the first week of competitions.

Among the other winners was Olympian Manu Bhaker who triumphed in the Junior Women’s 25M Pistol.

Rahi met Abhidnya Ashok Patil in an all Maharashtra clash for the gold medal in the Women’s Sport Pistol and eventually won 19-16 in a thriller. They had warded off the challenge of Haryana’s Rhythm Sangwan and local favourite Chinki Yadav in the medal match after the four had come through two semi-finals each. Rhythm settled for bronze.

Delhi’s Parth Makhija overwhelmed West Bengal’s Abhinav Shaw 16-4 in the Men’s 10M Air Rifle T1 decider and then edged out former world number one Divyansh Singh Panwar of Rajasthan 16-10 in the Junior gold medal match to come out the biggest winner of the day.

Manu Bhaker denied Rhythm Sangwan yet another gold in an Haryana clash this time in the Junior Women’s 25M Pistol. Manu prevailed 19-14 in a pulsating encounter.

Over 3300 Shooters, including all top Shooters of the country, are participating in the year’s first National trials in Bhopal, after they had to be postponed from January this year, because of the raging pandemic.

Indian teams for the upcoming World Cup in Baku and Junior World Cup in Suhl are to be selected on the basis of these trials.