Abhay, Raiza top national shotgun selection trials 4 in Bhucho

Bhucho (Punjab), Sep 4 (PTI) Abhay Singh Sekhon and Raiza Dhillon topped the national selection shotgun trial 4 (T4) in the men's and women's skeet event respectively here on Thursday.

Raiza also topped the women's qualification rounds in the line-up of 19 athletes while Asian Shooting Championship gold medallist Anantjeet Singh Naruka dominated the men's qualification among 35 athletes at Bhucho Village Bhai Devinder Singh Sidhu Gun Club.

In the skeet men, Abhay hit 55 out of 60 targets to finish on the top in the T4, while Gurjoat Singh and Naruka finished second and third in the finals with 53 and 44 hits, respectively.

Earlier in the qualifications, Abhay finished fourth in the qualification with 117 hits in the five series of 25 shots each (24, 21, 23, 24, 25) and +3 in the shoot off.

Naruka topped the T4 qualification line-up with 121 hits (24, 23, 25, 25, 24) while Gurjoat Singh finished second with 118 (23, 24, 22, 25, 24) and +2 in the shoot-out as Bhavtegh Singh Gill, also on 118 (24, 25, 24, 24, 23), finished third in the qualification with a hit less in the shoot-out.

Yuvek Battula with 117 hits (24, 24, 22, 23, 24) and Zorawar Singh Bedi, also with 117 hits (23, 24, 23, 23, 24), were the other finalists with +2 and 0 in the shoot-off.

Raiza Dhillon emerged as the top performer in T4 skeet women, as she maintained the high scores across all five rounds to finish with 119 hits (24, 25, 23, 23, 24) in the qualification and secured the top spot in the finals with 55 hits while Ganemat Sekhon shot two less to finish second in the finals.

Parinaaz Dhaliwal completed the podium with 43 hits in the finals, and she had earlier secured a solid qualification by finishing second with 115 (24, 22, 21, 24, 24) and +4 after a shoot-off against Darshna Rathore, who also scored 115 (24, 23, 23, 22, 23) and +2.

Ganemat and Yashasvi Rathore finished fourth and fifth in the qualification with 114 (23, 24, 22, 24, 21) and 109 (21, 24, 20, 24, 20) hits. Risham Kaur Guron secured the sixth spot in the finals with 108 (20, 23, 22, 22, 21) and +2 in the shoot off against Vanshika Tiwari 108 (20, 21, 20,24, 24). PTI AH AH AT AT