Prithviraj Tondaiman and Rajeshwari Kumari emerged winners of the Men’s and Women’s Trap competitions in the 4th National Shooting Selection Trials (Shotgun), which concluded at the M.P. State Shooting Academy ranges in Bhopal on Sunday.
Tamil Nadu’s Prithviraj shot 46 in the six-man 50-shot final while Punjab’s Rajeshwari was even more accurate with 48-hits, en route to claiming the crucial victory. Gujarat’s Bakhtyaruddin Mohamadmuzahid Malek and Uttar Pradesh’s Sabeera Haris claimed the Junior Men’s and Women’s Trap trials, respectively.
In a high-scoring Men’s Trap qualification round, Prithviraj shot 121 and then went down to Paris 2024 Olympics quota winner Bhowneesh Mendiratta in a shoot-off, to qualify in fourth place for the finals, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) informed in a release on Sunday.
Delhi’s Fahd Sultan topped the qualifications with a score of 122. He too had to claim the top qualifying spot after coming off 3-2 in a shoot-off with Olympian Kynan Chenai, who qualified second and finished the same as well with 43 hits to his name in the final.
Former world champion Manavjit Sandhu (sixth with 19 hits) and Asian Games silver medallist Lakshay Sheoran (third with 34 hits) were the other finalists in a top-quality final.
In the Women’s Trap, Madhya Pradesh’s Neeru topped the qualification round with a score of 112 after five rounds. Veteran Shagun Chowdhary finished on the same score but came second best in a shoot-off.
Rajeshwari qualified third with 111, again claiming the spot after a shoot-off win against Sabeera. Manisha Keer, also of the home state and who eventually finished second with 43 hits in the final, infact, claimed the sixth and final qualifying spot with an effort of 110. She also went down in a shoot-off with Pragati Dubey, who qualified fifth.
Rajeshwari however was in her element in the final and won with lots to spare in the end.
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