Lima: Khushi won bronze in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) in the on-going International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Lima, Peru, taking India’s medal tally to 15, which now includes 10 gold, one silver, and four bronze medals, as they continued to stay on top of the standings.
The youngster shot 447.3 in the final to finish behind Caroline Lund of Norway, who won silver with 458.3. Caroline’s compatriot Synnoeve Berg won gold with 458.4.
Khushi was placed seventh in the qualification with a score of 585 to seal the spot in the final. It got so tight that there were four others on the same score, however, Khushi and Italian Anna Schiavon clinched the final two qualifying spots, on the basis 29 shots in the inner 10-ring while two Swiss athletes, Alexa Tela and Emely Jaeggi managed 27. Khushi finished ahead of Anna on countback.
In the eight-woman final, Khushi was lying fourth at the end of the first two, kneeling and prone positions, but managed to pipped Norwegian Pernille Nor-Woll at the end of the 40th shot, the 10th in the standing position, to move up to third. Synnoeve and Caroline were having their own battle for the top two throughout the 45-shot final.
Khushi did wobble again on the 41st shot with 9.1, which put her back down to fifth, but a brilliant 10.7 for the 42nd and 10.4 for her 43rd ensured a hard-working medal.
In the team competition Jitu128 in junior women’s 3P, the trio of Sakshi Padekar, Melvina Joel Gladson and Prachi Gaekwad, finished fifth with a tally of 1757. Anoushka Thakur also shot 585 in qualification, but 26 hits in the inner-10 ring meant she ended 11th. Sakshi, Melvina, and Prachi finished 24th, 32nd, and 41st, respectively.
(IANS)
