He has not represented the country yet, but Abhishek Verma could spearhead the Indian men’s air pistol team in the World Championship and Asian Games as he climbed to the top of the chart with a fine performance in the 18th Kumar Surendra Singh championship and the fifth National selection trials, which concluded at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Sunday.
Abhishek, who had won the mixed gold with Yashaswini Deswal and was third in the competition behind Deepak Sharma and Om Prakash Mitharval on Saturday, did his averages a world of good by shooting 585 in qualification and then beating Deepak Sharma, Jitu Rai and Amanpreet Singh to the top the fifth trials.
Saurabh Choudhary, who shot 589 in qualification, was second ahead of Shahzar Rizvi, who had shot a gold and silver in the World Cups this season. A third place in the overall merit list may mean missing the Asian Games, which will have only two entrants per event, but it will be up to the selection committee to weigh the options.
The results: 10m air pistol: Youth men: 1. Ashish Kumar Dodhwal 236.3 (569); 2. Monu Kumar 231.9 (575); 3. Arpit Tomar 215.2 (571).
Trial-5: 50m rifle 3-position: Men: 1. Parul Kumar 455.1 (1152); 2. Swapnil Kusale 453.4 (1163); 3. Chain Singh 440.5 (1157).
Junior men: 1. Abhay Kumar Goel 445.3 (1136); 2. Yash Padloskar 441.4 (1126); 3. B. Mithlesh 422.5 (1139).
Women: 1. Lajja Gauswami 453.4 (1153); 2. K.C. Hema 453.1 (1152); 3. Shreya Saksena 442.7 (1166).
Junior women: G. Varshaa 441.6 (1117); 2. Mansi Singh 437.3 (1115); 3. Yashika Shinde 426.2 (1116).
10m air pistol: Men: 1. Abhishek Verma 244.0 (585); 2. Deepak Sharma 239.8 (581); 3. Jitu Rai 218.2 (581).
Junior men: 1. Himanshu Tanwar 240.7 (578); 2. Manish Narwal 238.2 (578); 3. Monu Kumar 217.7 (575).
Youth men: 1. Monu Kumar 244.1 (575); 2. Harsh Gutpa 242.2 (572); 3. Manish Narwal 218.5 (578).