NEW DELHI: Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker marked her return to competitive shooting with a strong performance but had to settle for second place in the women's 25m pistol event at the Rifle/Pistol National Selection Trials (Group A) on Wednesday.
Haryana's Rhythm Sangwan clinched victory after a tense shoot-off at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Bhaker, who won bronze in both the individual and mixed team events at the Paris Olympics, displayed her class by topping the qualifying rounds with a total of 591, including an impressive 294 in the second rapid-fire round. Punjab's Simranpreet Kaur Brar followed with 588, while Olympians Rahi Sarnobat (588), Esha Singh (586), and Heena Sidhu (580) also made it to the final.
In the final, Bhaker and Sangwan were locked at 37 hits each after the 10-series of five shots. The first shoot-off ended in a 4-4 tie before Sangwan edged past Bhaker 4-3 in the second, securing the top spot. Simranpreet finished third.
Meanwhile, Paris Olympics bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale dominated the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) T1 final, showcasing his class with a standout performance. In the women’s 10m air rifle T2 event, Arya Rajesh Borse claimed victory with a near world-record score, falling just one point short of the benchmark set at the same venue.