Mehuli Ghosh gave herself a perfect gift for her 18th birthday — two more gold medals — in the 62nd National shooting championships on Tuesday.
The Bengal shooter, who had won the 10m air rifle junior and youth titles on Monday, was again in great form as she and Abhinav Shaw dominated the 10m air rifle mixed pairs event in both the sections.
The consistent duo was streets ahead in both the finals, winning with a score of 498.2 in the juniors section, ahead of C. Kavi Rakshna and Rithik Ramesh (Tamil Nadu, 493.7), and Aishwarya Pratap Singh and Tomar Yana Rathore (Madhya Pradesh) in the youth final.
The Bengal pair finished with a score of 498.8, while the Madhya Pradesh duo tallied 497.3.
“I was away from home on my last birthday, taking part in the National trials and here I am as a participant in the Nationals.
“To a shooter, winning is always supreme and the best birthday gift that one can find. So, you could say it is a double delight,” said Mehuli.
Earlier in the afternoon, Anjum Moudgil finished as winner for a third time in the current event by taking the senior mixed pairs title in the company of her Punjab teammate Arjun Babuta.
The duo tallied a total of 497.3 for the gold medal head of Rajasthan’s Barkha Chauhan and Divyansh Singh Panwar (496.6).
Anjum will next take part in the women’s rifle 50m prone — her last event in the championships — on Wednesday prior to returning home and starting preparations for the ISSF World Cup to be held in New Delhi in February next year.
The results:
10m air rifle mixed pairs: Seniors: 1. Anjum Moudgil & Arjun Babuta (Pun) 828.9 (497.3), 2. Barkha Chauhan & Divyansh Singh Panwar (Raj) 829.2 (496.6), 3. Kajal Saini & Sahil (Har) 828.8 (427.1).
Juniors: 1. Mehuli Ghosh & Abhinav Shaw (Ben) 498.2 (829.7), 2. C. Kavi Rakshna & Rithik Ramesh (TN) 828.3 (493.7), 3. Manini Kaushik & Divyansh Singh Panwar (Raj) 826.4 (429.3).
Youth: 1. Mehuli Ghosh & Abhinav Shaw (Ben) 829.6 (498.8), 2. Aishwarya Pratap Singh & Tomar Yana Rathore (MP) 830.2 (497.3), 3. Manini Kaushik & Divyansh Singh Panwar (Raj) 831.3 (436.0).