Shooting: Suruchi unstoppable; Kiran and Varun also win in National Trials
Haryana’s teenage pistol shooter Suruchi remained unstoppable as she swept aside a top domestic line-up to win the women’s 10m air pistol T1 match at the Rifle/Pistol National Selection Trials (Group A), currently going-on at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting range (DKSSR) here on Thursday.
Suruchi had caused more than a flutter in this new season after winning seven gold medals at the Nationals and then a couple more at the National Games. She continued in the same fashion in the National Selection Trials.
The day’s other two finals, the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) T2 and the men’s 10m air pistol T1, were also bagged by the respective newly-crowned national champions in the event -- the Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav taking the 3P title while Army’s Varun Tomar emerging triumphant in men’s air pistol.
Double Paris Olympic bronze winner Manu Bhaker was the other star of the day, finishing third in the women’s air pistol, to clinch a third podium finish in as many trials over the past week.
Unstoppable Suruchi
The kind of dominance Suruchi has exhibited throughout the season in women’s air pistol, was on show once again at the DKSSR where it all started back in December last year, as the national champ stormed into the finals with a classy 586 to top the qualification round. Asian Games champion Palak was closest with 584 while Manu qualified third with 581.
Top international shooters Rhythm Sangwan and Sainyam were also in the final, however, Suruchi seemed oblivious to happenings around her as she finished just 0.5 below the existing world mark to clinch the top spot with an awe-inspiring 246.5 after 24 shots.
Chandigarh’s Sainyam took second, almost five points (241.5) behind Suruchi, while Manu, after hovering around fourth-fifth spots in the initial stages of the final, surged into podium position after 16 shots and held on gamely.
Kiran and Varun land titles
In the day’s first final, the Indian Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav, who stunned two Olympians in the finals of the nationals, did an encore enroute to winning the men’s 3P T2 final with a total tally of 460.0 points. Multiple-time international medallist Akhil Sheoran of Uttar Pradesh was 0.2 behind in second while Army marksman and veteran shooter Chain Singh took another podium to finish third.
In the men’s 10m air pistol T1 competition, it was the Army’s turn to bag top honours as national champ Varun Tomar shot 243.2 in the final to win. Teammate Ajendra Singh Chauhan was second while Rajasthan’s Amit Sharma finished third.
