Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Brisbane,
Heena Sidhu claimed the 10m air pistol gold, while Deepak Kumar fetched the bronze in the 10m air rifle event to give India a fine start at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships here today.
Heena shot a combined score of 626.2 (386 + 240.8) to win her second successive international gold. Heena and Jitu Rai claimed the top position in the 10m air pistol mixed team event in the ISSF World Cup Finals in Delhi earlier this month.
Deepak claimed the 10m air rifle bronze with a score of 224.2. London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang finished fourth in the same event, while Ravikumar ended fifth. Narang shot 626.2 in the qualification round to create Commonwealth Championships record.
Heena was strong through the day, topping qualification with a high score of 386 — her best in international competitions since the 387 she shot at the Asian Championship in Delhi two years ago. In the final, Heena opened up a gap of over two points after the first five-shot series and led throughout, nailing the title with a perfect 10.9 in the 23rd and penultimate shot.
Elena Galiabovitch of Australia won the silver medal with a score of 238.2, over two points behind Heena’s 240.8. Kristy Gillman, also from the host country, won the bronze with 213.7. Punjab Harveen Srao finished fourth with a score of 194.1, while Shri Nivetha Paramanantham finished fifth with 174.5.
In the men’s 10m air rifle, Narang shattered the qualification record to top the round with a score of 626.2. Ravi Kumar (625) and Deepak (620.3) qualified for the final in second and fifth positions, respectively.
In the final, however, Australian teenager Alex Hoberg stole the show, claiming the gold medal with a score of 247.6. His compatriot Jack Rossiter finished second.
