New Delhi witnessed thrilling action at the National Selection Trials 3 (Group A) as Divyansh Singh Pawar and Khyati Chaudhary clinched gold in the men’s and women’s 10m air rifle events respectively. Olympic shooter Anish Bhanwala added to the excitement by winning the 25m rapid fire pistol T3 final.
In the men’s 10m air rifle final, Tokyo Olympian Divyansh Pawar topped the 8-man showdown with an impressive score of 252.5. Parth Rakesh Mane secured silver with 251.5, while Shahu Tushar Mane grabbed bronze at 230.9. The competition at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in the National Capital Region was fierce, showcasing India’s rising shooting talents.
The women’s final was a nail-biter, decided in a dramatic shoot-off. Khyati Chaudhary edged out Mahit Sandhu after both tied at 251.4 following 24 shots. Khyati’s superb 10.9 in the shoot-off outdid Mahit’s 10.2, claiming the top spot. Mehwul Ghosh rounded off the podium with 230.1.
Qualification rounds set the stage for high drama. In men’s quals, Dhanush Shrikant led with 633.2, followed closely by Mahesh Babu Bathula at 632.6. Himanshu Dhillon and Niraj Kumar both scored 632.1 for third and fourth. Parth Mane, Divyansh, and Shahu followed with 631.8, 630.6, and 630.4 respectively. National champion Kiran Ankush Jadhav made the top-8 cut with 630.3.
Women’s qualification saw Mehwul Ghosh top the charts at 633.4, with Sonam Uttam Maskar at 633.2. Tilottama Sen scored 632.0 for third, ahead of Khyati (630.7) and Mahit (629.7). Vidrasa K. Vinod, Sakshi Sunil Padekar, and Isha Anil Takasale completed the top-8 with scores of 629.4, 629.3, and 629.1.
Anish Bhanwala dominated the 25m rapid fire pistol, topping the T3 final with 33 points. Rajkawar Singh Sandhu took silver with 31, while Bhavesh Shekhawat won bronze via shoot-off against Vijayveer Sidhu, both at 29. Vijayveer finished fourth with 23 hits.
In pistol qualification Stage 1, Bhavesh led with 583-17x, Rajkawar at 581-20x, Adarsh Singh 580-15x, and Anish 578-15x. Niraj Kumar, Vijayveer, Omkar Singh, and Pradeep Singh Shekhawat filled the top-8.
These trials highlight India’s strong Olympic preparations, with shooters displaying precision and resilience under pressure.