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Shooting
Anjali proves she's the best
By Kamesh Srinivasan
Anjali Vedpathak (left) shares a lighter moment with Suma Shirur after winning the 10m air rifle event for women in the National shooting championship at Indore on Wednesday. Suma took the silver. - Photo: S. Subramanium
INDORE, JAN. 9. She is easily one of the best in the world. Anjali Vedpathak asserted her class yet again as she clinched the air rifle gold with a breathtaking 105.8 in the final, and a total of 502.8, in the National shooting championship, organised by the BSF at the Reoti range, here on Wednesday.
Pushed to her wit's end by the superb performance of Suma Shirur, who returned a brilliant 104.7 in the final, Anjali had no other option but to come up with her best after leading the eight finalists with a 397, a point ahead of Suma.
The 32-year-old CISF inspector from Mumbai, Anjali, had world class rounds of 10.4, 10.9, 10.4, 10.5, 10.4, 10.2, 10.5, 10.8, 10.8, 10.9 after having made the final with a series of 100, 97, 100, 100.
Anjali's total of 502.8 was a little away from the National record of 503.3 by Poornima Gawhane in the last edition in Phillaur. Anjali's best has been 398 in the preliminary phase and 104.7 in the final.
It was a creditable performance by the 27-year-old Suma, who had given birth to son Nihal only two months ago. Suma had rounds of 98, 100, 99, 99 in the preliminary phase. She tried hard but could never take the lead in the 10-shot final from the consistent Anjali, who had made it to the final of the Sydney Olympics, apart from making the World Cup finals four times in the last two years.
Suma had rounds of 10.9, 10.0, 10.4, 10.5, 10.5, 10.5, 10.4, 10.4, 10.8, 10.3 for her personal best final score of 104.7 and a total of 500.7.
Suma had won silver in the National championship before, but this was her best effort, a positive indication of things in store in the hectic season.
There was stiff competition for the bronze as well, and Punjab's Sabeeha Dhillon messed up her chances with a nervous last shot of 8.3, as she totalled 494.6. Poornima had a 10.7 last shot to take the bronze with a total of 496.2.
Sabeeha (392) had the consolation of taking the junior silver one point behind Chetanpreet Kaur, and also took the Punjab team to the silver in the senior section behind Railways.
Anuja Tere, who had given Anjali a fight in the National Games final recently, grappled with poor form after her recent marriage, and failed to make the final with a total of 587.
In the men's section, the first day's competition was gone through in free pistol and standard pistol events. Favourites, Samaresh Jung and Jaspal Rana, were sitting pretty in the lead.
The results:
Women: 10m air rifle: 1. Anjali Vedpathak (CISF) 502.8 (397); 2. Suma Shirur (Rlys) 500.7 (396); 3. Poornima Gawhane (Rlys) 596.2 (394).
Team: 1. Railways (Anuja Tere 387, Suma Shirur 396, Poornima Gawhane 394) 1177; 2. Punjab (Jasmeen Brar 386, Sabeeha Dhillon 392, Chetanpreet Kaur 393) 1171; 3. CISF (Kuheli Gangulee 384, Anjali Vedpathak 397, Leena Shirodkar 388) 1169.
Juniors: 1. Chetanpreet Kaur (Punj) 393; 2. Sabeeha Dhillon (Punj) 392; 3. Meena Kumari (Inf) 389.
Team: 1. Punjab (Jasmeen Brar 386, Sabeeha Dhillon 392, Chetanpreet Kaur 393) 1171; 2. Infantry Kids (Raj Kumari 377, Sharda Thapa 384, Meena Kumari 389) 1150; 3. Chandigarh (Tamanna 352, Shaleen Chauhan 333, Prabhleen Chauhan 357) 1042.
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