Manu Bhaker continues to dominate Olympic Selection Trials

Olympian Manu Bhaker displayed complete dominance in 10m air pistol Olympic Selection Trials (OST), shooting a superb score to overcome the challenge of Asian Games medallist Esha Singh in Bhopal on Friday.

Bhaker, coached by the legendary pistol marksman Jaspal Rana, shot a superb 241.0 in the third OST to push back the challenge of Esha (240.2) and Rhythm Sangwan  (220.3) at the MP State Shooting Academy ranges.

Surbhi Rao (199.3) and Palka (179.1) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Manu's performance is all the more creditable as she came into the 10m air pistol trials on the back of a superb showing in the 25m sports pistol trials.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is conducting a series of four trials in pistol and rifle to select the squad for the Paris Olympics.

The top-three scores in the trials along with Paris Olympics quota points will count towards the selection of the Indian squad for the Summer Games.

The range, however, was set on fire by Naveen in men's 10m air pistol OST T3 final, as he shot a 246.8, 0.3 points more than the existing world record, to emerge victorious.

Sarabjot Singh (242.4) was a distant second, while Arjun Singh Cheema (218.8), Varun Tomar (197.3) and Ravinder Singh (176.9) were third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Ramita Jindal emerged winner in women's 10 air rifle finals (Trial 3), posting 252.6 to edge past Olympian Elavenil Valarivan (252.1). Nancy was third, bowing out in a shoot-off with Elavenil, while Mehuli Ghosh and Tilottama Sen were fourth and fifth respectively.

In men's 10m air rifle finals (Trial 3), Sri Karthik Sabari Raj took an early lead in the 24-shot shootout and held on to it after coming through two shoot-offs for the top podium finish against Divyansh Singh Panwar. Both ended on 252.5.

Arjun Babuta (229.9) was third, while world champion Rudrankksh Patil and Sandeep Singh were third and fourth respectively.

India No. 1 and world record holder Sift Kaur Samra returned a splendid 593, while Olympian Anjum Moudgil shot a modest 588 as the duo dominated the qualification round (Trial 4) in the 50m rifle 3-positions event.

Nishchal (587), Shriyanka Sadangi (580) and Ashi Chouksey (577) were third, fourth and fifth respectively going into the finals to be played on Saturday.

In men's 50m rifle 3P, local favourite Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar shot a third successive 590-plus score to top the qualification round (Trial 4). Swapnil Kusale (573), among the first to win a Paris quota in 2022, was placed fifth going into the finals on Saturday.