Manu, Sarabjot clinch mixed air pistol gold at Khelo India University Games

With more national and international competitions lined up in the weeks ahead, it was a good outing for both Manu and Sarabjot to tune their technique under less pressure, even though the intensity of competition overall was indeed high.

Mixed air pistol champions Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh in the Khelo India University Games in Delhi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan

Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh proved too good for qualification toppers Varun Dubey and Vibhuti Bhatia as they clinched the mixed air pistol gold with a 16-2 margin in the Khelo India University Games at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Wednesday.

Versatile shooters in the international circuit, who regularly excel at the highest level, Manu and Sarabjot were happy to win the gold for Panjab University, Chandigarh.

With more national and international competitions lined up in the weeks ahead, it was a good outing for both Manu and Sarabjot to tune their technique under less pressure, even though the intensity of competition overall was indeed high.

Hardeep Singh Gill and Shikha Narwal were quite dramatic in recovering from 4-12 to 14-12 in the bronze medal match against Amandeep Singh and Pardeep Kaur Sidhu, but took turns to shoot 7s on the next two shots in losing 14-16.

In the mixed skeet event, it was another gold for Panjab University, Chandigarh, as Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Prabh Pratap Chahal beat Asees Chhina and Sukhbir Singh Harika 31-29.

It was the second gold for Parinaaz after the individual event. With Ganemat Sekhon and Darshna Rathore winning silver and bronze medals in the last World Cup in Almaty, the rest of the women skeet shooters do have a lot to catch up.

The results:

10m air pistol: Mixed team: 1. Panjab University, Chandigarh (Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh) 16 (573); 2. University of Delhi (Varun Dubey, Vibhuti Bhatia) 2 (575); 3. Punjabi University (Amanpreet Singh, Pardeep Kaur Sidhu) 16 (566); 4. Maharshi Dayanand University (Hardeep Singh Gill, Shikha Narwal) 14 (570).

Skeet: Mixed team: 1. Panjab University, Chandigarh (Prabh Pratap Chahal, Parinaaz Dhaliwal) 31 (141); 2. Punjabi University, Patialav (Asees Chhina, Sukhbir Singh Harika) 29 (139); 3. GNDU, Amritsar (Arjun Thakur, Shivani Raikwar) 32 (127); 4. GNDU, Amritsar (Gurnihal Singh Garcha, Kajal Singh Baghel) 22 (109).