Shagun Chowdhary shot two rounds of 25 to grab the pole position on day one of the women’s trap qualifiers at the 63rd National Shotgun Shooting Championship in New Delhi on Sunday.
The seasoned Shagun, representing ONGC, shot the same score of 71 as Punjab’s Rajeshwari Kumari, but two perfect rounds of 25 including the third and final round of the day, saw her claim the top honours at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Intense competition is building up as the finals beckon after two more qualifying rounds on Monday, with Bihar’s Shreyasi Singh closely following on 70 and the likes of India’s only World Cup medallist Seema Tomar also in the top six with a score of 67.
Defending champion Varsha Varman, however, was way behind in the 52-strong field with a 57.
In the junior women’s trap, Shefali Rajak of Madhya Pradesh was on top of the chart with a 65, while Haryana’s Suhanya Singh, who shot 64, was close behind.
Day two of competitions will see the senior and junior women’s trap finals.