On the fifth day of the Rifle/Pistol National Selection Trials (Group A) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR) in Delhi, Rhythm Sangwan (women’s 25m pistol T2), Swapnil Kusale (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) T1), and Arya Rajesh Borse (women’s 10m air rifle T2) emerged victorious, each clinching a prestigious win. Haryana’s Rhythm was the first to triumph, edging out four Olympians, including Paris Olympics double bronze medalist Manu Bhaker, in a tense shoot-off. Swapnil Kusale dominated the men’s 3P T1 final with ease, while Arya Rajesh Borse triumphed in a fiercely competitive women’s air rifle T2 final, falling just one shot short of the world record at the same venue.
Rhythm Triumphs After Intense Shoot-off
Manu Bhaker continued her strong return to competitive shooting, topping the women’s 25m pistol trials with a solid score of 591, thanks to a 294 in the second rapid-fire qualifying round. Simranpreet Kaur Brar followed in second with 588. Other Olympians, including Rahi Sarnobat (588), Esha Singh (586), Heena Sidhu (580), and Rhythm (578), qualified for the final eight.
In the final, Rhythm and Manu tied with 37 hits after ten series of five shots each, requiring two shoot-offs to determine the winner. Rhythm ultimately edged out Manu 4-3 in the second shoot-off, after the first ended in a 4-4 tie. Simranpreet secured third place on the podium.
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Swapnil Kusale Dominates Men’s 3P T1 Final
Paris bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale qualified for the men’s 3P T1 final with a smooth 592 out of 600, securing third place in the qualifiers. Kiran Ankush Jadhav of the Navy topped with a stellar 596, followed by Akhil Sheoran in second with 593.
In the final, Swapnil displayed exceptional consistency, maintaining a lead throughout the competition. After each of the three positions—kneeling, prone, and standing—Swapnil continued to increase his advantage. He finished with a total of 465.1, 2.6 points ahead of Akhil, who secured second place. Veteran shooter Chain Singh claimed third.
Arya Rajesh Borse Clinches Women’s 10m Air Rifle Victory
In the women’s 10m air rifle T2 trial, Arya Rajesh Borse of Maharashtra impressed with a remarkable victory in a high-scoring final. Newly crowned national champion Ananya Naidu set the pace with a strong 53.1 after the first five shots, maintaining the lead until the 20th shot. However, Arya surged ahead with consistent 10.4+ shots and sealed the lead with a perfect 10.9 on her final shot.
At the final stage, both Arya and Ananya were tied at 231.9, but Arya’s back-to-back 10.8s in the final shots pushed her to a score of 253.5, clinching the win. Ananya, despite scoring high in her last two shots, finished just 0.5 points behind in second place.
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