Abhinav Shaw, a 10-year-old hailing from Asansol in West Bengal became India’s youngest national champion in shooting.
Partnering birthday girl Mehuli Ghosh, Shaw struck gold in the 10m air rifle mixed event at the 62nd National Shooting Championships in Trivandrum, Kerala. Mehuli, in turn, won her fifth and sixth gold medals of her Nationals campaign, annexing the Junior and Youth Mixed Team titles to go with her women’s junior and youth individual and team golds won earlier.
The duo of Mehuli and Abhinav scored 498.2 in the junior mixed final and for youth gold, the duo shot 498.8.
Anjum Moudgil of Punjab continued her golden run in the women’s Air Rifle events. Anjum won her third gold of the nationals on Tuesday, partnering Arjun Babuta to help Punjab win the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event.
Anjum and partner Arjun shot 828.9 in qualification to make it as the fourth out of five qualifying teams. India international pairing of Ayonika Paul and Akhil Sheoran representing the Railways, topped the field with a score of 829.9. The Punjab pair however was too good in the finals, outclassing the field with a 497.3, where the Silver winning pair of Divyansh Singh Panwar and Barkha Chauhan, representing Rajasthan, shot 496.6. Haryana won Bronze.
Shaw, also winner in the Bengal state championship, like Mehuli is a product of the Joydeep Karmakar shooting academy.