Narmada Nithin and Sri Karthik Sabari Raj warded off a late resistance from Anshika Gupta and Samarvir Singh to clinch the mixed air rifle gold for the University of Madras in the Khelo India University Games at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Sunday.
The Madras team was on the brink of victory at 15-5 with a dominant fare in the gold contest, but Delhi University Sports Council bounced back strongly to bridge the gap, especially through the strong performance of Anshika.
At the crunch, with only two points difference, Narmada and Karthik struck their best shots to seal the victory.
Having missed the individual gold by 0.1 point to Mehuli Ghosh in the women’s event, it was a big relief for Narmada to capture the gold for her team.
Mehuli was brilliant as usual and salvaged the bronze for Adamas University, in partnership with Srinjoy Datta, by delivering a series of big shots that culminated with the perfect 10.9 last shot.
It was Ashi Chouksey and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, the individual rifle 3-position gold medallists, who were shining bright with a 13-9 lead for Guru Nanak Dev University, but Mehuli and Srinjoy turned the table by winning eight points on the trot.
In mixed trap, a non-Olympic event and thus does not feature a final, Manav Rachna University won the gold through Kirti Gupta and Manavaditya Rathore.
After the silver in the men’s trap, it was a welcome gold for Manavaditya.