Rifle/Pistol Selection Trial 3 and Trial 4, with Mehuli Ghosh from West Bengal and Anish Bhanwala from Haryana emerging as winners at the MP State Shooting Academy ranges. The two national rifle and pistol selection trials are scheduled until March 1, 2024, featuring three finals each day, except for the last two days, which will have two finals each.
Mehuli Ghosh secured the first victory of the day and the ongoing trials, qualifying for the top eight with a solid score of 631.5 in the initial 60-shot round. R. Narmada Nithin from Tamil Nadu led the qualification with a score of 632.5. In the final, Mehuli initially stood joint third but made a comeback, displaying exceptional shooting skills in the last eight shots, including a perfect 10.9 in the 17th shot. She finished with a total of 251.6, narrowly beating local favorite Ashi Chouksey by 0.1, while Punjab’s Jasmeen Kaur settled for third with 229.9.
Anish Bhanwala reinforced his position as India’s top Rapid Fire Pistol (RFP) shooter in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event. Anish dominated the final with 32 hits, comfortably ahead of Army marksman Gurmeet with 29 hits, and Bhavesh Shekhwat from Rajasthan securing third place with 22 hits. Anish had earlier topped the qualification with a total of 589, with Gurmeet trailing behind at 583.
In the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event, Ganga Singh of the Army Marksmanship Unit delivered an impressive performance, scoring 458.5 in the final, a significant 4.1 points ahead of Goldie Gurjar. The day’s events showcased the skill and prowess of India’s Olympic quota holders in the shooting arena.