Sonam, Neeraj, win at rifle/pistol national selection trials

NEW DELHI: Railway shooter Sonam Uttam Maskar and Army shooter Neeraj Kumar emerged victorious on day four of the rifle/pistol National Selection Trials (Group A), currently under way in Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR).

Sonam, who picked up three ISSF medals last year, shot 253.2 in the women’s 10m air rifle T1 final to boss national champion Ananya Naidu of Maharashtra, who finished 1.3 behind in second, a press release by the National Rifle Association of India stated.

On the other hand, Neeraj Kumar caused an upset of sorts in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) T2 final, getting the better of the Paris Olympics duo of Anish and Vijayveer Sidhu, relegating them to silver and bronze positions respectively, according to a release from NRAI.

Five Olympians in the women’s 25m pistol T2 finals.@realmanubhaker @SarnobatRahi @HeenaSidhu10 @SangwanRhythm @singhesha10 #IndianShooting #NationalSelectionTrials pic.twitter.com/KNiX9Fpm81

— NRAI (@OfficialNRAI) February 12, 2025

Earlier in the day, Sonam showcased good form in the 60-shot qualification round itself, topping it with a score of 633.9. Two Olympians, Elavenil Valarivan (2nd with 632.6) and Ayonika Paul (7th with 630.4) joined her in the final eight, along with national champ Ananya (5th with 632.1).

That did not deter Sonam who began the decider with a near-perfect 10.7 and never looked back. Ananya was the only shooter to threaten her dominance and was just 0.4 behind at the 16-shot stage before Sonam pulled away for good. Maharashtra had a double podium as another in-form shooter Arya Rajesh Borse finished third.

In contrast, nothing seemed amiss in the men’s RFP T2 qualification as undisputed India number one Anish topped it with a sublime 590, looking on course for a back-to-back trials win. Raajwardan Patil of Maharashtra was way behind in second with 584, while Vijayveer qualified third with a 580. Neeraj was fourth with a non-too impressive 579, according to the release.

In the final though, Neeraj shot like a man possessed, shooting a perfect 5 in each of the first three series of five rapid-fire shots. Another perfect 5 in the sixth, meant he would not drop a point in half the final. He backed up a stellar showing with three scores of 4 to stun Anish, who ended three behind in 31. Vijayveer held on for bronze.

Double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker extended a stellar run of form on return to competitive shooting, staying in pole position after round one of qualification in the women’s 25m pistol T2 event, with a brilliant 297 out of 300 in the first precision round. The second rapid-fire round and finals come up on Wednesday, the release added. (ANI)