Shooting Trials: Suruchi continues dominance; Kiran and Varun secure titles

Haryana’s teenage pistol shooter Suruchi maintained her stellar form, claiming victory in the women’s 10m air pistol trial (T1) on Thursday.

Fresh from winning seven gold medals at the shooting nationals and additional titles at the National Games, Suruchi outclassed a formidable domestic field at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.

The competition also saw Indian Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav clinching the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) title, while Army’s Varun Tomar secured the top position in the men’s 10m air pistol event.

Suruchi once again showcased her dominance, storming into the finals with an impressive 586 in the qualification round. Asian Games champion Palak followed with 584, while Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker secured third place with 581.

In a final featuring top international shooters Rhythm Sangwan and Bhaker, Suruchi displayed exceptional composure, finishing just 0.5 points shy of the world record with a winning score of 246.5 after 24 shots. Chandigarh’s Sainyam secured silver with 241.5, while Manu Bhaker climbed to third place after a strong finish.

In the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Indian Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav delivered another remarkable performance, replicating his national championship victory. He claimed gold with a total of 460.0 points, narrowly edging out multiple international medallist Akhil Sheoran of Uttar Pradesh, who finished 0.2 points behind. Veteran Army marksman Chain Singh completed the podium.

Meanwhile, in the men’s 10m air pistol event, Army’s Varun Tomar reaffirmed his national champion status with a winning total of 243.2. His teammate Ajendra Singh Chauhan secured silver, while Rajasthan’s Amit Sharma took the bronze.