Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Olympian Manu Bhaker won the gold as India bagged five medals on the second day of the Junior World Shooting Championship in Lima, Peru, late on Thursday,
Rudraksha Balasaheb Patil of Mumbai begun the medal-rush with a silver in the Men’s 10M Air Rifle with Ramita following that up with a bronze in the Women’s 10M Air Rifle.
Manu Bhaker then claimed gold as she topped the 10M Air Pistol competition leading an Indian 1-2 in the event with teammate Esha Singh finishing second for silver.
It turned out to be a fruitful day for rising skeet shooter Ganemat Sekhon as she won a silver medal. That was India’s fifth medal of the day. The Chandigarh girl, who picked up her first senior ISSF World Cup stage medals in New Delhi earlier this year, went down in a Shoot-off eventually to American Alisha Fayth Layne, after both had tied on 46-hits after the 60-shot final. Sara Bongini of Italy won bronze.
Ganemat ‘s teammate Raiza Dhillon could not get going and finished sixth hitting 14 of the first 20 targets.
India also finished outside the medals in the Men’s 10M Air Pistol with Naveen finishing fourth, Sarabjot Singh sixth, and Vijayveer Sidhu eighth after all three had made the finals cut.
In the Men’s Skeet none of the three Indians in the fray, Rajveer Gill, Abhay Sekhon, and Ayush Rudraraju could make it to the six-man finals.
India stands second on the table behind the USA. The Americans won six medals in all on Thursday including three gold medals led by their reigning Olympic champion William Shaner in the Men’s 10M Air Rifle. France and Belarus won the other gold medals on the day, besides India.