Ayushi Podder of West Bengal won the Women 50m Rifle Three Positions T3 as the National Selection Trial for rifle events, got underway at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.
Ayushi got the better of Punjab Sift Kaur Samra 16-10 in the gold medal match. Ashi Chouksey of Madhya Pradesh took the bronze.
The 21-year-old Ayushi, presently ranked fourth in the country in this event, made it to the top eight semifinal stage with a qualification score of 585 out of 600, giving her fifth place in a strong field of 86 shooters. Among those who qualified were Tokyo Olympian Anjum Moudgil of Punjab and veteran Lajja Gauswami of Gujarat. Haryana Meena Kumari topped the stage with 589.
In the semifinals, Sift Kaur Samra of Punjab, ranked three in India, topped with a score of 407.4 to make it to the gold medal encounter. Ayushi followed her with 402.0.
In the junior event, Nischal of Haryana emerged triumphant when she overwhelmed Ashi, who otherwise had a good day, 16-6 in the gold medal match. Mansi Sudhir Singh Kathait ensured Madhya Pradesh had half the day medals to their name, winning bronze in the event.
The National Selection Trial 3 & 4 for rifle events are scheduled till April 17, 2022.