Anant Jeet Singh Naruka beat Asian champion Man Singh and Olympic quota winner Mairaj Ahmad Khan, two of the best skeet shooters in the country, en route to the gold in the 59th National shotgun championship at the Jagatpura shooting range here on Wednesday.
It was the first time that the 17-year-old Anant Jeet was competing among the men and he was thrilled to emerge the champion, as he beat another junior Angad Vir Singh Bajwa 14-13 in the gold contest.
The two boys were tied with Man Singh on 14 in the semifinals, and only two could vie for the top two medals. Both the boys shot all the four birds in the shoot-off, while Man Singh, who had topped the qualification with an impressive 123, missed one.
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“It is a great feeling to win the senior gold on the first attempt,” said Anant Jeet, who had shot the junior bronze in the International Junior Cup this season, apart from the junior silver in the Asian shotgun championship last year.
Mairaj Khan had shot 122 in qualification but could not qualify for a medal fight as he lost the shoot-off to Gurjoat Singh 5-6 after the two tied on 13.
Interestingly, Anant Jeet lost the junior gold to Arjun Mann, later in the evening.
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“I was tired and could not focus after the gold in the men’s event. I had come to the range at 8 a.m. I have won a bronze and three silver among the juniors, but never a gold,” said Anant Jeet, a 12th standard student.
The 20-year-old Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, who shot for the national team in the World Cups in Larnaca (117) and Acapulco (114) this season, won the junior bronze.
It was the second medal for Angad among the men, as he had won the bronze in the National Games in Kerala.
Defending champion Parampal Singh Guron shot 113 and missed the final by three points. Smit Singh shot 114 and missed the final by two points.
In a vintage collection of former champions for the veterans’ event, Paramjit Singh Sodhi, a friendly coach for many a budding talent, shot the gold as he beat former national champion Rahoul Rai 12-10.
The results:
Skeet: Men: 1. Anant Jeet Singh Naruka 14 (14)4 (116); 2. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa 13 (14)4 (117); 3. Man Singh 14 (14)3 (123); 4. Gurjoat Singh 13 (13)6 (116); 5. Mairaj Ahmad Khan 13(5) 122; 6. Mohd. Sheeraz Sheikh 12 (116).
Juniors: 1. Arjun Mann 12 (14) 111; 2. Anant Jeet Singh Naruka 10(14) 116; 3. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa 14 (12) 117; Mohd. Hamza Sheikh 12 (13) 113.
Veterans: 1. Paramjit Singh Sodhi 12 (10) 91; 2. Rahoul Rai 10 (14) 98; 3. H.S. Sandhu 9 (7) 90; 4. Rajpal Singh Kochhar 8 (7) 95.