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Arjun Babuta and Ojasvi Thakur from Punjab won the 10m air rifle mixed team gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun, defeating Maharashtra’s Arya Borse and Rudrankksh Patil 16-12.

Arjun Babuta (in picture) teamed up with Ojasvi Thakur to win the gold medal match 16-12. (AFP Photo)
Punjab duo of Arjun Babuta and Ojasvi Thakur showcased precision and composure to clinch the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal on Day 4 of shooting competitions at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Saturday.
Arjun and Ojasvi beat Maharashtra’s Arya Borse and Rudrankksh Patil 16-12 in an intense gold medal match at the Trishool Shooting Range here.
There was nothing much to separate between the two pairs for most part of the contest before the Punjab duo sealed the win with a final shot score of 21.4 against Maharashtra’s 21.0.
In the bronze medal match, West Bengal’s Abhinav Shaw and Ismita Bhowal put up an impressive performance to defeat Gujarat by 17-11. Their final shot score of 21.1 proved superior to Gujarat’s 20.4, earning them a place on the podium.
“It feels absolutely amazing to win gold for our state, and of course, it was a true team effort,” said the 16-year-old Ojasvi, expressing joy after the gold medal win.
“While on the shooting range and aiming for gold, we both focused on our individual performances, striving to achieve the maximum points,” said the 26-year-old Babuta, who won 10m air rifle individual event as well as team gold in the 2022 Changwon World Cup and also a yellow metal in the team event in the 2023 Asian Championships.
Earlier, the qualification round saw participation of 25 teams from across India, with the top four advancing to the final. Punjab led the qualification standings with a score of 631.7, followed by Maharashtra (630.7), West Bengal (630.6) and Gujarat (629.4).
In the women’s 25m pistol event, Simranpreet Kaur Brar of Punjab topped the qualification round with a score of 579.
Pushpanjali Rana (578) of Delhi, T S Divya (577) of Karnataka, Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat (576) of Maharashtra, Annu Raj (576) of Haryana, Riya Shirish Thatte (576) of Maharashtra, Neeraj Kaur (574) of Punjab and Anjali Choudhary (573) of Haryana were the other seven shooters who made it to the final round.
The event featured 30 shooters from across the country.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
- Location :
Dehradun, India, India