At 38, shooter Sanjeev Rajput is an old canon among young guns

Indian shooters showcased glimpses of their vintage self at the ongoing 63rd National Shooting Championship tournament in Bhopal. Sanjeev Rajput, Rahi Sarnobat, Manu Bhaker, and Aishwary Singh Tomar continued fine run of form at the tournament in their respective events.

Divyansh Singh Panwar powered his way to a spectacular victory in the men’s Air Rifle on the opening day of the tournament. Compatriot Sanjeev Rajput followed it up with another yellow metal in the men’s 50m Rifle 3 positions. Among women, Rahi Sarnobhat aced the women’s 25m Pistol event, finishing on top of the qualification through to the finals.

All of 38, Sanjeev, who represented Haryana, shot an impressive 1176 to register the top spot before a sublime 459.6 to win gold, while Rahi shot 41 in the final to edge past Manu Bhaker who walked away with the silver after a score of 32. Earlier, Rahi shot 589 to top qualification, while Manu shot 582 to advance to the finals.

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In the junior events, Manu Bhaker won the women’s 25m Pistol gold only to be joined by Aishwary Tomar who won the men’s 3P with a 455 shot in the final. Aishwary had earlier won the junior Air Rifle in the championships.

A fresh crop of 15 shooters has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics next year, including eight men and seven women. Indian shooters have been consistent throughout, proving their mettle at every tournament. Especially, the dominance in the 10m field is a reflection of the country’s depth in that particular area. For example, in the women’s 10m air rifle, Apurvi Chandela, Anjum Moudgil and Valarivan are currently ranked World No 1, 2 and 3 respectively.