Anantjeet, Darshna Rathore shine at National Shooting Championships

Asian Champion shooters Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Darshna Rathore showcased remarkable precision and consistency to clinch the Senior Skeet Mixed Team gold at the 68th National Shooting Championship (Shotgun) held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range here on Wednesday.

The Rajasthan duo edged past Uttar Pradesh’s Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Areeba Khan in a tense final, winning 45-43. Anantjeet contributed 21 hits while Darshna added 24, narrowly outpacing Mairaj (21) and Areeba (22) to secure the top spot.

Rajasthan had already set the pace during the qualification rounds, topping the standings with a total of 143 hits, Anantjeet hitting 73 and Darshna 70 earning a direct place in the gold medal match. Uttar Pradesh had to fight their way through a shootout after tying with Haryana at 142 hits; Mairaj (74) and Areeba (68) prevailed 4-3 to reach the final.

Haryana’s Raiza Dhillon (21) and Ishaan Singh Libra (20) claimed the bronze, defeating Madhya Pradesh’s Rituraj Bundela (20) and Mansi Raghuwanshi (19) 41–39 in the third-place playoff. Madhya Pradesh finished fourth.

In the Junior Skeet Mixed Team category, Telangana’s Yuvek Battula and Lakku Venkat Lakshmi dominated with 19 hits each to win gold. Madhya Pradesh’s Jyotiraditya Sisodiya (17) and Vanshika Tiwari (20) narrowly missed out, finishing just one point behind. Punjab captured the bronze, with Harmehar Singh Lally and Parmeet Kaur combining for 40 hits, ahead of Rajasthan’s Yashasvi Rathore and Yashwardhan S Rajawat (39).

During junior qualifications, Telangana led with 141 hits (Yuvek 73, Venkat Lakshmi 66), while Madhya Pradesh secured the second spot with 140 hits (Vanshika 71, Jyotiraditya 69). Punjab (136) and Rajasthan (133) rounded out the top four.

The championship continues on Thursday with the 10m Air Pistol Women’s finals, promising another day of thrilling competition.