Suruchi and Saurabh shine in National shooting trials

Suruchi Inder Singh and Saurabh Chaudhary emerged winners in the 10m pistol events at the National Selection Trials in Raipur, dominating qualification and finals to cap strong performances this season

Hyderabad: Suruchi Inder Singh continued her remarkable form this season, finishing on top in the T4 10m Pistol Women event, while Olympian Saurabh Chaudhary took the top spot in the men’s event on the final day of the National Selection Trials 3 & 4 (Rifle & Pistol) for Group ‘A’ athletes, held at the Trishul Shooting Range, Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur.

Both athletes also topped their respective qualification rounds with high scores of 588 and 587 respectively.

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Suruchi dominated the finals once again from the start and finished with a score of 244.3, which was 3.1 more than Anjali Shekhawat, who finished second. The experienced Rahi Sarnobat secured another podium finish with a score of 221.6. Olympians Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh finished in fourth and fifth places respectively with scores of 202.5 and 179.6. Sainyam, K M Priyanka Patel, and D Padma completed the final lineup.

Suruchi shot a brilliant 588-20x in qualification to finish on top ahead of Anjali and Rahi, who shot 584-25x and 579-23x to finish in the top three. Priyanka Patel (579-18x), Sainyam (579-16x), Manu (577-21x), D Padma (577-21x), and Esha (577-18x) completed the top eight.

“There’s really no big secret to how I shoot. I don’t look at the clock or think about how fast I’m going, I just keep shooting until it’s done. The rhythm takes over, and everything flows naturally, and that’s probably what helps me stay focused,” Suruchi said.

“For now, I’m looking forward to the Haryana State Championships and then we head into the national camp. Step by step, I just want to keep doing my best,” said Suruchi after her double wins in the trials.

In the men’s final, Saurabh secured the top spot with a score of 245.7, just 0.4 ahead of Subhash Sihag, who finished with 245.3. Aditya Malra took the third spot with 223.5. T3 winner Samrat Rana finished fourth, while Ujjawal Malik, Ajay Kumar Ambawat, Amit Sharma, and Rajan Tomar were the other finalists.

Earlier in qualification, Saurabh led the field with a score of 587. The competition for the top eight places was fiercely contested, with Ujjawal (583-22x), Rajan Tomar (583-21x), Amit Sharma (582-24x), Subhash Sihag (582-22x), Ajay Kumar (582-19x), Aditya (582-18x), and Samrat (582-17x) completing the lineup.