Promising youngster Anish Bhanwala was bang on target as he won the men and junior gold medal in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol at the ongoing 61st National Shooting Championship in Thiruvananthapuram.
The 15-year-old shooter from Haryana, who had won the standard pistol gold at the ISSF Junior World Championship in Suhl, finished on top of the podium with a score of 31 after topping the qualification with 583.
Army shooters Rajesh Kumar shot 24 while Pemba Tamang 20 to win silver and bronze respectively.
International shooter Harpreet Singh and Olympian Gurpreet Singh finished 4th and 5th respectively while London Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar shot a below par 558 to finish 17th in a field of 80 shooters.
Anish also won the junior gold with a new final national record of 30. Another shooter from Haryana, Adarsh Singh shot 25 to win the silver while Punjab Anhad Jawanda won the bronze with 16.
The Results:
Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol: 1. Anish Bhanwala (HAR) 31 (583); 2. Rajesh Kumar (Army) 24 (575); 3. Pemba Tamang (Army) 20 (573).
Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team: 1. Army (1717); 2. Haryana (1714); 3. BSF (1689).
Junior Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol: 1. Anish Bhanwala (HAR) 30 (NFNR); 2. Adarsh Singh (HAR) 25; Anhad Jawanda (PUN) 16.
Civilian Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol: 1. Arpit Goel (DEL) 568 (ENR); 2. Rushiraj Atul Barot (GUJ) 567; 3.┬áAdarsh Singh (HAR) 564.
Civilian Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team: 1. Punjab (1647); 2. Haryana B (1642); 3. Haryana A (1634).