NEW DELHI, Feb 10: Maharashtra’s Rudrankksh Patil and Punjab’s Sift Kaur Samra won back-to-back national selection trials for Group A shooters, emerging victorious in the men’s 10m air rifle and women’s 50m rifle 3 positions T2 matches, respectively, here on Monday.
Both the top international shooters had won the T1 trials at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range on Sunday.Rudrankksh, the 2022 men’s air rifle world champion, shot 253.3 in the final to win comfortably, while Sift was even more dominant, eventually ending with a score of 469.8, 0.2 above her existing world record in the event.Punjab earned a second title on the day when Simranpreet Kaur Brar claimed the day’s third final — the women’s 25m pistol T1 with a score of 36 — leaving Olympian Esha Singh and double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker behind in silver and bronze positions.
Sift wins third title in a week
The day’s first decider saw Sift Kaur Samra deliver a virtuoso performance which gave her a third title in a week – a National Games gold and two trial wins.She topped the qualifications with a brilliant 595 and then led from the beginning in the 45-shot final to leave fellow Shriyanka Sadangi of Odisha behind by a huge 4.6 points.Such was her accuracy that she surpassed her world record score despite a final shot return of 9.9. Telangana’s Surabhi Rapole won bronze.
Rudrankksh’s double
Rudrankksh Patil has also been in rousing form in the new season, and registered his second trials victory in two days with a mature showing in the men’s 10m air rifle.He was second in qualification with 633.0 to eventual silver medallist Hriday Hazarika of Assam, though only on count-back.In the final, he was on the money from shot one. A 10.4 to start with, and then he led through all the pit-stops to leave Hriday 1.9 short after the regulation 24-shots. Gujarat’s Smit Moradiya won bronze. (PTI)