Khelo India 2022: Junior World Championship medallist Ramita Jindal wins air rifle gold

The 18-year-old from Haryana beat Devanshi Kataria of Rajasthan by a 0.3 margin to clinch the gold.

The 18-year-old Ramita had done well to top the second stage and qualify for the gold match, 0.3 point better than Devanshi.

Ramita Jindal was at her fierce best as she usurped the air rifle gold from the grasp of Devanshi Katara in the Khelo India Youth Games at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Thursday. It was a fitting climax to the shooting competition, as Ramita, the World Championship junior bronze medallist, came up with five incredible shots when Devanshi was on the door step of victory. The first year Commerce student of Hans Raj College in the Capital, Ramita recovered from the brink of defeat at 8-14, with a tied shot, that made it 9-15. When one point was required for Devanshi for victory, Ramita shot 10.7, 10.8, 10.7 and 10.5 in sailing to an improbable victory, with every better shot fetching her two points. Devanshi did not shoot bad, only that her shots of 10.5, 10.4, 10.2 and 10.4 in that order, proved inferior in comparison. The 18-year-old Ramita had done well to top the second stage and qualify for the gold match, 0.3 point better than Devanshi. The latter was 0.4 point behind Ramita in the first stage of qualification. Of course, such statistics may not capture the courage and finesse of execution that Ramita showed when teased by the tricky situation, with the packed arena creating a vibrant atmosphere on every shot. There was pressure on Ramita as it was Devanshi who released the shot first every time in the gold duel, but Ramita executed a remarkable series in which all her 16 shots were 10 or more. It was another gold in the rich collection for Haryana, while Devanshi fetched the silver for Rajasthan. Harshita Garg won the bronze for Haryana, ahead of Yana Rathore, qualification topper Khushi Saini (625.7), Suhani Rane, Palak Sachdeva and Aneesha Sharma. The results: Youth women’s air rifle: 1. Ramita Jindal 17 (260.0) 624.8; 2. Devanshi Katara 15 (259.7) 624.4; 3. Harshita Garg 258.8 (625.2).