Anuya, Pranjali script golden 1-2 in women’s air pistol at Deaflympics

India’s shooting campaign at the Deaflympics turned brighter on Monday as youngsters Anuya Prasad and Pranjali Prashant Dhumal delivered a stunning 1-2 finish in the women’s 10m air pistol event in Tokyo. For Anuya, the win came as a perfect birthday gift, while Pranjali added to the celebration with a strong silver.

Anuya produced a commanding performance in the final, scoring 241.1 to clinch gold and set a new Deaf Final World Record (DFWR). The 19 year old carried her momentum from the qualification round, where she scored 564 to enter the final in third place, before taking complete control with a strong first series of 52.5 and maintaining the lead throughout. This marks her second major international medal after last year’s gold at the Deaf World Championships in Hanover.

Pranjali, who topped qualification with a brilliant 572, also broke the Qualification World Record (QWR) before securing silver with 236.8. Iran’s Mahla Samiee finished with bronze.

India’s strong run continued in the men’s 10m air pistol as Abhinav Deshwal added a silver medal. The 18 year old, who had won gold at the 2022 Deaflympics, shot 235.2 in the final after equalling both the World and Deaflympics qualification records with a score of 576. Korea’s Tae Young Kim claimed gold with 238.2, while Croatia’s Boris Gramnyak took bronze.

The results pushed India’s shooting medal tally to seven in just two days of competition. The campaign began with Dhanush Srikanth’s 10m air rifle gold on Sunday, continuing India’s rising dominance in deaf shooting sports.

With the Air Rifle Mixed Team event scheduled for Tuesday, India will look to extend its medal haul further.