Fifteen-year-old Bengaluru shooter Jonathan Antony delivered a grand performance on the biggest domestic stage when he outwitted Paris Olympics bronze-medallist Sarabjot Singh and the more fancied Saurabh Chaudhary to clinch the 10m air pistol gold at the National Games in Dehradun on Monday.
Jonathan, whose shooting career took wings when he won gold in the CBSE South Zone Rifle Shooting Competition in 2022 while studying in eighth standard, shot a superb 240.7 for Karnataka in the final to overcame the challenge of Services veterans Ravinder Singh (silver, 240.3) and Gurpreet Singh (bronze, 220.1) and Sarabjot, who won a bronze in the Paris Olympics' 10m air pistol mixed team event with Manu Bhaker last year.
Sarabjot finished fourth on Monday.
The champion marksman had earlier entered the final placed eighth with a score of 578, denying Olympian and national record holder Saurabh Chaudhary, who also shot an identical score but missed out in the shoot-off to finish ninth and out of contention for the eight-shooter final.
Ravinder topped the qualification with 584, while Sarbjot finished second with an aggregate of 583.
Jonathan showed nerves of steel in the medal round despite some of his shots fetching him low-nine scores.
This would count as Jonathan's biggest achievement in the senior category after the Bengaluru teenager won the 10m air pistol mixed team (junior) gold and bronze in the youth category.
"I'm thrilled with this win. Competing against such talented shooters who have represented India at the highest level makes this victory even more meaningful. Today was my day, and I'm proud of how it all came together," Antony said.
Punjab's Sift Kaur Samra secured gold in the women's 50m rifle 3-positions event after shooting a superb 461.2 to overcome the challenge of state-mate Olympian Anjum Moudgil, who shot 458.7.
Surabhi Bharadwaj of Telangana bagged the bronze medal, shooting 448.8.
The 23-year-old Samra, an Asian Games gold medallist, produced a commanding performance in the qualification round as well to finish second behind Madhya Pradesh's Ashi Chouksey (598).
Ashi was in a different zone in the qualification but she could not maintain the rhythm in the final to finish a dismal seventh.
"This feels like a comeback for me after the Olympics," said Samra, who had a forgettable Paris Olympics.
"I didn't take a break (after Paris) and kept training, so winning the gold today feels special," Samra said in a press release.
"I'm pleased with how I executed my routine and the small details that made the difference. It's also wonderful to share the podium with Anjum, who's an incredible shooter."
Moudgil, also from Punjab, claimed the silver medal with 458.7 points.
"This is the third National Games where Sift and I have finished on the podium together. She's an extraordinary shooter, and I've always admired her," said Moudgil, a winner of two silver medals at the 2018 World Championships.
"While my scores weren't great in the beginning, I knew that staying calm and focused would get me to the podium. This has been the best shooting range I've competed in and the organisation has been fantastic.
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