Young and talented Manu Bhaker won gold medals with new national records in all three categories — women, junior and youth — of the 10m Air Pistol at 61st National Shooting Championship in Thiruvananthapuram.
The 15-year-old Manu, who has recently secured a Youth Olympic Games quota, bagged her maiden national title with a new final national record of 242.3.
The former World No. 1, Heena Sidhu, representing ONGC, settled for the silver with a score of 240.6 while Shri Nivetha P. of Tamil Nadu took the bronze with a score of 217.4.
The previous record of 240.8 was set by Heena just last month during the Commonwealth Shooting Championship in Brisbane, Australia.
Earlier, Manu shot 382 in the qualification while Heena (384) and Nivetha (383).
In junior category too, Manu won the gold and also broke the record of 235.0 set by Yashaswini Deswal in Suhl, Germany this year. Manu shot 240.2 to claim the junior title while Mahima Turhi Agrawal of Madhya Pradesh (239.7) won the silver. Maharashtra’s Rabia Akbar Kaktikar (214.6) took the bronze.
In the youth category, Manu shot 240.5 to win gold and better her own record of 236.1 set at the Asian Airgun Championship in the Wako City, Japan, just before coming for Nationals. Rabia (236.4) won the silver while Harshada Sadanand Nithave of Maharashtra shot 216.4 to win the bronze.
Manu has had a great year, she won the junior and youth gold at the Kumar Surendra Singh Memorial Shooting Championship in Delhi and also won the youth silver along with the Youth Olympic Games quota at the 10th Asian Airgun Championship in Wako City, Japan.
The Results:
Women’s 10m Air Pistol: 1. Manu Bhaker (HAR) 242.3 NFNR (382); 2. Heena Sidhu 240.6 (384); 3. Shri Nivetha P. 217.4 (383).
Women’s 10m Air Pistol Team: 1. ONGC (1137); 2. Punjab (1131); 3. Uttar Pradesh (1120).
Civilian Women’s 10m Air Pistol: 1.┬áShri Nivetha P.┬á(TN)┬áShri Nivetha (383); 2. Manu Bhaker (HAR) (382); 3. Kirandeep Kaur (PUN) 380.
Civilian Women’s 10m Air Pistol Team: 1.┬áHaryana (1122); 2. Maharashtra (A) 1116; 3. Maharashtra (B) 1115.
Junior Women’s 10m Air Pistol: 1. Manu Bhaker (HAR) 240.2 NFNR (382); 2. Mahima Turhi Agrawal (MP) 239.7 NFNR; 3.┬áRabia Akbar Kaktikar (MAH) 214.6.