SSCB continue good run at National Games shooting

Ranchi, Feb 20 (PTI) Services Sports Control Board (SSCB)shooters remained on course to bag the overall title as theyadded two gold on the penultimate day of the shootingcompetition in the 34th National Games here today.

But the day belonged to both Services'' Gurpreet Singh andPunjab''s Heena Singh with the duo claiming one individual andone team gold each as the Armymen led the medal standings inshooting with 12 gold, eight silver and four bronze withMaharashtra on the second spot.

Heena clinched individual gold in 10m women''s air pistolwith a record score as the day also witnessed another new markby Vijay Kumar in the qualification round of 25m rapid firepistol.

But Kumar failed in the final series to returnempty-handed as his fellowmate Gurpreet Singh shot 572 (29),Haryana''s Harpreet Singh with 564 (24) and Madhya Pradesh''sMahendar Singh 566 (20) grabbed the top three spots.

Vijay Kumar shot 581 in the qualification to improve hisfour year old record of 578 in Guwahati.

However the top score by Kumar ensured Services the teamthe gold medal as he along with Gurpreet Singh and PembaTamang logged 1730.

Haryana trio of Rahul Panwar, Harpreet Singh and YogeshSingh (1680) and Madhya Pradesh''s Mahendra Singh, Poonam KumarChoudhary and Toshit Kumar with 1649 won the silver andbronze.

Punjab''s Heena Sindhu shot 386 in the qualification roundto eclipse four year old mark of Sonia Rai (383) while in thefinal she totalled 489.4 which broke 481.8 by Annu Raj Singhin the Guwahati Nationals (2007).

Maharashtra''s Jivan Rahi Sarnobat shot 479.4 (380+99.4)and HP''s Sonia Rai logged 477.8 (378+99.8) for the second andthird spots.

The trio of Heena Sindhu, Harveen Sarao and Lakhbir KaurSindhu totalled 1135 to earn PUnjab the team gold, whileMaharashtra''s Jivan Rahi Sarnobhat, Shreya Sanjay Gawande andShital Thorat (1122) and Haryana''s Annu Raj Singh, Shwetachaudhary and Anisa Sayyed (1120) bagged the silver andbronze.