Neeru strikes women’s trap gold at 68th NSCC

Asian Championship gold medallist Neeru Dhanda showcased remarkable composure to clinch the women’s trap title at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions (Shotgun) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range on Monday.

Neeru held her nerve in a closely contested final, finishing with 41 hits to edge past Delhi’s Kirti Gupta, who took the silver medal with 40. Madhya Pradesh teammate Pragati Dubey completed the podium, earning bronze after registering 32 hits in the final.

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Pragati had earlier topped the qualification round with an impressive score of 117, ahead of Neeru’s 114 and Rajeshwari Kumari’s 113. Delhi’s Addya Katyal placed fourth with 112, while Preeti Rajak (111+1) and Kirti Gupta (111) sealed the remaining final spots, their rankings determined by shoot-offs. In the medal round, Addya finished fourth with 27 hits, Preeti placed fifth with 21, and Olympian Rajeshwari Kumari of Punjab ended sixth with 17.

The junior men’s trap final witnessed a strong late surge from Aryavansh Tyagi, who shot 42 to secure the gold medal. Punjab’s Keshav Chauhan settled for silver with 37, while Uttar Pradesh’s Zuhair Khan claimed bronze with 30.

Zuhair had been dominant in qualification, topping the field with 120, followed by Aryan Singh on 118. Aryavansh Tyagi and Haryana’s Arjun both posted 115, with Tyagi advancing on the strength of a shoot-off. Keshav Chauhan (113) and Manitwa Singh Rawat (112) rounded off the finalists. In the final, Manitwa finished fourth with 27, Aryan Singh placed fifth with 21, and Arjun ended sixth with 14 hits.

Madhya Pradesh asserted their depth in the women’s trap team event, winning gold with a combined score of 339 from Pragati Dubey, Neeru Dhanda and Manisha Keer. Delhi claimed silver with 333 through Addya Katyal, Kirti Gupta and Bhavya Tripathi, while Punjab took bronze with 319, represented by Rajeshwari Kumari, Pukhraj Kaur Chahal and Krishika Joshi.

In the junior men’s trap team competition, Haryana topped the standings with an aggregate of 336, thanks to Arjun, Lakshya Atree and Prikshit Arya. Gujarat secured the silver medal with 327, while Rajasthan finished third with 326.

Delhi rounded off a successful day by winning gold in the junior women’s trap team event, as Addya Katyal, Bhavya Tripathi and Ananya Yaduvanshi combined for 323. Tamil Nadu finished second with 295, and Rajasthan completed the podium with 274.