After sweeping the 50m Rifle 3 Positions trials earlier in the week, Tilottama Sen extended her stellar run at the National Selection Trials 1 & 2 (Group A) by clinching the 10m Air Rifle Women (Trial 1) title at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here on Thursday. Railways shooter Shahu Tushar Mane topped the men’s 10m Air Rifle Trial 1, while Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu emerged victorious in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Trial 2.
The junior national champion in 10m Air Rifle produced a composed comeback in the final to finish on top despite entering the medal round as the eighth and last qualifier. Tilottama scraped through qualification with 630.8 but steadily climbed the standings in the final to post a winning score of 253.4.
Railways’ Sonam Uttam Maskar finished second with 252.8 after qualifying fifth with 631.2, while Madhya Pradesh’s Nupur Kumrawat claimed third place with a final score of 230.5, having also shot 631.2 in qualification.
Haryana’s Shruti, the top qualifier with 633.2, ended in fifth place with 187.9. Maharashtra’s Isha Anil Taksale finished fourth with 209.0, followed by R Narmada Nithin in sixth (166.2). Railways’ Mehuli Ghosh placed seventh with 145.3, while Maharashtra’s Arya Rajesh Borse rounded off the final in eighth with 123.7.
Shahu Tushar Mane tops men’s 10m Air Rifle
In the 10m Air Rifle Men’s Trial 1 final, Railways’ Shahu Tushar Mane claimed the top spot with a score of 253.9. Mane, who had qualified fifth with 632.6, built momentum through the final to edge past the field.
Haryana’s Arshdeep Singh secured second place with 251.1, while Maharashtra’s Parth Rakesh Mane finished third with 230.5. Samarvir Singh of Haryana narrowly missed the podium, ending fourth with 209.2.
Olympian Arjun Babuta, the top qualifier with an impressive 635.1, finished sixth with 166.4. Maharashtra’s Gajanan Shahadev Khandagale placed fifth with 187.7, while Rudrankksh B. Patil and Surya Pratap Singh Banshtu finished seventh and eighth respectively.
Vijayveer shines in Rapid Fire Pistol
In the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Trial 2 final, Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu shot 31 hits to take gold. National champion Suraj Sharma, who topped qualification with 588-22x, finished second with 29 hits.
Punjab’s Udhayveer Sidhu completed the podium with 25 hits. Navy’s Omkar Singh placed fourth with 18 hits, while world championship silver medallist Anish Bhanwala finished fifth with 15. Uttarakhand’s Ankur Goel and Army shooter Neeraj Kumar completed the final line-up.
The National Selection Trials 1 & 2 will continue on Friday with the finals of 10m Air Rifle Women (Trial 2), 10m Air Rifle Men (Trial 2) and the Trial 2 final of the 25m Pistol Women’s event.