National shooting championships: Anjum, Mehuli reign supreme

Punjab's Anjum Moudgil  was on song yet again and so was young Mehuli Ghosh from Bengal as four more individual titles were decided in the 62nd National shooting championships at the Vattiyoorkavu National Games ranges on Monday.

Given the fact that the event has already brought about two quota places for India — the two berths that the country has been assured as of now for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — the women’s 10m air rifle final was, for sure, expected to be a closely contested one.

The field of eight for the final comprised Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil (the two to get the quota for the country) and Maharashtra’s Meghana M. Sajjanar.

However, as the elimination got started, Anjum proved her class and finished on top with 249.1 points. Having won a second gold medal Anjum was ecstatic: “It was a better showing than on Sunday. I did get into the groove at the appropriate time and I am happy that I stayed right here until the end.”

Mehuli, the young shooter from Bengal, was unable to make the cut in the women’s section being able to only finish tenth in the qualifiers. But, she did make good, as she captured both the junior girls’ and youth girls’ titles with ease. In the junior event, the gutsy shooter topped the field with a score of 249.1 and the youth gold with an improved tally of 253.0.

The results: Women: 10m air rifle: 1. Anjum Moudgil (Pun), 626.2 (249.1), 2. Jasmine Kaur (Pun), 626.3 (247.9), 3. C. Kavi Rakshna (TN) 625.8 (236.0). Team: 1. ONGC, 1868.5, 2. Rajasthan, 1865, 3. Railway, 1863.7.

Junior girls: 10m air rifle: 1. Mehuli Ghosh (Ben), 624.1 (249.1), 2. C. Kavi Rakshna (TN), 625.8 (247.9) 3. Jasmine Kaur (Pun), 626.3 (226.9). Team: 1. Bengal, 1861.6, 2. Tamil Nadu, 1856.9, 3. Rajasthan, 1856.7.

50m rifle 3 positions: 1. Bhakti Bhaskar (Mah), 1138 (441.6), 2. Ayushi Podder (Ben), 1130 (440.4), 3. Shirin Godara (Har), 1135 (431.5). Team: Madhya Pradesh, 3399, 2. Tamil Nadu, 3363, 3. Haryana, 3353.

Youth girls: 10m air rifle: 1. Mehuli Ghosh (Ben), 624.1 (253.0), 2. C. Kavi Rakshna (TN), 625.8 (249.3), 3. Zeena Khitta (HP), 628.4 (227.1). Team: Bengal, 1861.6, 2. Himachal Pradesh, 1857.1, 3. Madhya Pradesh, 1855.3.