New Delhi, Feb 14 (NationPress) Meenu Pathak from Delhi created a remarkable upset on the final day of the National Selection Trials 1&2 (Group A) for Rifle/Pistol, defeating top contenders to secure victory in the women’s 10m air pistol T2 event with a score of 243.1 on Friday.

Varun Tomar, an army personnel, was another standout performer of the day at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR), achieving a score of 239.8 in the men’s air pistol T2 final, winning by a significant margin of 1.9 over Sarabjot Singh, the bronze medallist from the Paris Olympics.

Two other significant occurrences included Haryana’s rising shooting star Suruchi Phogat facing her first defeat since December last year and former world No.1 Saurabh Chaudhary achieving a podium spot. Their performances over the past three months have propelled Suruchi to the second position in the Indian rankings, while Saurabh has ascended to the top.

The women’s event commenced first, with Surbhi Rao leading the qualification round in the morning with an impressive score of 585. Suruchi qualified second with 582, while double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker followed in third with 580. Other Olympians, Rhythm Sangwan and Esha Singh, also secured spots in the final, with Meenu in seventh place with a less impressive 576.

Meenu’s start was rocky as she was fifth after the first five shots. After 10 shots, Manu was in the lead with Meenu in third. Suruchi, Sainyam, and Esha all maintained strong performances and were in contention.

For the first time, Meenu took the lead after the 16th shot of the 24-shot final as Suruchi and Esha chased her. Esha faltered with an 8.5 in her 21st shot, finishing third. As they approached the final shots, Meenu held a 0.3 lead over Suruchi, who had mounted a comeback after initially losing momentum. A score of 9.2 on her 23rd shot was enough for Meenu to secure victory, finishing with scores of 10.2 and 10.7.

The men’s qualification similarly showcased a top score of 585, achieved by fellow Haryanvi Aditya Malra. Saurabh qualified second with 583, Sarabjot with 582 in fourth, while Varun snatched the final qualifying position with a score of 580, thanks to more inner 10s.

Saurabh was quick off the mark in the final, taking the lead after the first five shots with Varun in third. As competitors began to exit after the 12th shot, the battle narrowed down to the top three air pistol shooters in the nation.

Varun distanced himself from the group during the middle stages of the final, while Sarabjot made a strong late push to secure second place over Saurabh.