January 1, 2025: In a thrilling finale at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) (Rifle), Maharashtra’s Ananya Naidu clinched her first senior national title in the women’s 10m Air Rifle event with an impressive score of 252.5. Ananya narrowly edged out the seasoned Meghana Sajjanar of the Railways by just 0.2 points, marking a memorable victory. R. Narmada Nithin of Tamil Nadu secured the bronze medal with a score of 231.3.
Ananya’s performance was remarkable from the outset, as she took an early lead of 1.4 points after the first five single-shot series and maintained her advantage throughout. In the final stages of the 24-shot event, both Ananya and Meghana finished strongly, scoring 20.6 points each in the last two shots, which kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Despite entering the final as the 8th qualifier, Ananya’s ability to rise from her lower qualification position to claim the gold was a testament to her nerves of steel and precision. Arya Rajesh Borse, also from Maharashtra, topped the qualification with a score of 633.3 points, while Narmada Nithin was a consistent performer, qualifying second with a score of 632.9 points.
In the Junior Women’s 10m Air Rifle event, Gautami Bhanot emerged as the winner with a score of 251.5, defeating Mayuri Laxman Pawar of Maharashtra, who finished with silver. The two were tied at 168.0 points at one stage, but Gautami’s strong final shots of 21.6 points, compared to Mayuri’s 20.5, helped her secure the top spot. Disha Dhankar from Haryana bagged the bronze with a score of 229.9.
Both Ananya and Gautami’s victories added to the excitement of the competition, showcasing impressive resilience and skill on the national stage.
