National Games 2023: Mehuli Ghosh clinches 10m air rifle gold

West Bengal’s Mehuli Ghosh dominated women’s 10m air rifle event at the Mandrem Shooting Ranges during the ongoing 37th National Games on Tuesday.

“I had planned to win gold here in Goa. I’m glad that I was successful in achieving my goal,” said Ghosh.

Ghosh shot a total of 633.1 points to lead the qualification chart.

In the final, Ghosh shot 253.7 to win gold, while Nancy of Haryana won silver with 251.0 points. Swati Chowdhary of West Bengal edged out Shriyanka Sadangi of Odisha to win bronze with a score of 229.4 points.

Ghosh, one of the 13 shooters who have won 2024 Paris Olympic Games quota place, said that steady shooting in the finals is what she wants to aim for in the future.

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According to the West Bengal rifle shooter, an error in the medal round at the Hangzhou Asian Games cost her dearly.

“It was important for me to shoot a good score here in the finals,” she added. “I made a mistake in the finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games and couldn’t win an individual medal.”

Ghosh will compete at the Doha World Cup Finals on November 18. Immediately after the competition in Doha, she will compete in the National Shooting Championships in the third week of November at Delhi’s Karni Singh Shooting Ranges. In December, she will take part in the national selection trials.

“My future plan is to focus on steady scores in the final,” she added. “Improving fitness and staying healthy to deliver the goods at the right time in 2024 are other two key areas I’ve to focus on.”