Olympian Shagun Chowdhary pipped Rajeshwari Kumari in the climax to clinch the women’s trap gold in the 61st National shotgun championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range here on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Shagun, who lost the gold by one bird to Seema Tomar in the last edition in Jaipur, shot increasingly well in the single-shot final that featured 50 birds to clinch the gold by a three-point margin.
Qualification topper Shreyasi Singh, who had 72 out of 75, settled for bronze ahead of Manisha Keer, Nivetha Nenthirasigamani and Himangini Rathore.
Happy to regain the national title which she first won in 2001, Shagun was prompt in crediting Manav Rachna Academy for the sea change in her approach, both technically and mentally. The Academy had arranged a training stint for Shagun with former World champion Daniele di Spigno of Italy.
“I am happy with the way I shot the final. For the moment, I am satisfied with 67 in qualification, as it meets the minimum travel score (MTS). Next year is very important, with the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Championship. This is the first competition for me with the new technique, and I am looking forward to getting better,” said Shagun.
She was particularly pleased as this could pave the way for her return to the national squad of which she has not been a part of for the last two years.
Rajeshwari shot much better than what she had accomplished in qualification, but Shagun proved superior this day with an impressive 41 out of 50.
Nivetha, who qualified in second place by hitting most of the birds with the first barrel, looked to be unnerved by the stage in the women’s final. However, Nivetha regrouped herself for the junior final, which she won by beating Shefali Rajak in a shoot-off 2-1 after they were tied on 37.
Soumya Gupta managed to pip Manisha Keer for the bronze, while Sharayu Dalvi and Asila Feroze Khilji could not make a positive impact in the final.
In men’s trap, Manavjit Singh Sandhu retained the lead with a total of 73 out of 75, following a 24 in the third round. He was two points ahead of Fahd Sultan, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Kynan Chenai.
Aman Ali Elahi was undone by a 19 in the third round and slipped dramatically from the lead, but still stayed in second place among the juniors, two points behind Vishwa Kundu.
The results: Trap: Women: 1. Shagun Chowdhary 41 (67); 2. Rajeshwari Kumari 38 (62); 3. Shreyasi Singh 29 (72).
Junior girls: 1. Nivetha Nenthirasigamani 37(2) 68; 2. Shefali Rajak 37(1) 58; 3. Soumya Gupta 26 (58).
