The shooting arena at the Khelo India University Games, KIUG witnessed a day of high-quality marksmanship, tactical discipline and emerging university stars making their mark across pistol, shotgun and rifle events.
Led by standout performances from Simranpreet Kaur Brar, Raiza Dhillon, Neeru and Sakshi Padekar, the competition showcased depth across both individual and team categories, while reinforcing the dominance of Panjab University and Guru Nanak Dev University across multiple disciplines.
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In one of the most competitive events of the day, Simranpreet Kaur Brar (Panjab University) clinched gold in the 25m Pistol with a superb score of 38, combining consistency in the precision stage with composed rapid-fire execution. She maintained a steady margin over Parisha Gupta (Delhi University), who finished with 32 for silver, while Tejaswini (DU) took bronze with a score of 30.
The event also highlighted Panjab University’s depth as they captured the team gold with a cumulative total of 1684 points, comfortably ahead of the University of Rajasthan (1652) and Kurukshetra University (1603). PU’s strong aggregate demonstrated not only individual brilliance but collective reliability across their shooting squad.
Raiza Dhillon Tops Women’s Skeet as GNDU Shines Across Shotgun Events
The shotgun range produced an equally gripping set of results with Raiza Dhillon (Panjab University) taking gold in Women’s Skeet, outshooting Yashasvi Rathore (Mumbai University), who claimed silver, and Karttiki Singh (Barkatullah University), who secured bronze.
In the Women’s Skeet Team event, Rabindranath Tagore University emerged victorious with 318 points, followed by Guru Nanak Dev University (301). The strong team showing underscored the rising competitiveness among northern and central universities in shotgun disciplines.
The Men’s Skeet final was one of the closest contests of the day, with Rituraj Singh Bundela (GNDU) taking gold by the narrowest of margins 58 to 57 over Bhavtegh Singh Gill (PEC). Abhay Singh Sekhon (PBI) took bronze with 44, completing a competitive podium.
In the Mixed Skeet Team event, Guru Nanak Dev University continued to assert their depth, winning gold, with Rabindranath Tagore University taking both silver and bronze. GNDU’s strength was further reinforced in the Skeet Team standings, topping the charts with 336, ahead of Panjab University (317) and Rabindranath Tagore University (261).
GNDU Sweep in Women’s Trap and Strong Results in Men’s Trap
If there was a single university that stamped its authority over the shotgun events, it was Guru Nanak Dev University. The women’s Trap final saw a clean sweep by GNDU athletes
- Neeru claimed gold with 47,
- Manisha Keer secured silver with 39, and
- Nandika completed the trifecta with 30.
The Women’s Trap Team title also went to GNDU, whose total of 344 left Panjab University (298) far behind.
The Men’s Trap category delivered another GNDU gold, this time through Aditya Bharadwaj, who held off Jungsher Singh Virk (PBI) for a 45–43 finish. Bhaktiyaar Malik (MRS) claimed bronze with 34. GNDU once again topped the Men’s Trap Team standings with 335, followed by Jamia Millia Islamia (291) and Swami Vivekanand Subharti University (103).
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The day concluded with the precision and poise of the 10m Air Rifle finals, where Sakshi Padekar (Lovely Professional University) delivered a composed, high-class performance to win gold with 253.2. Her timing, hold control and shot discipline stood out as she held off Disha Dhankhar (Panjab University College), who pushed her all the way before finishing with 252.
R. Narmada Nithin (University of Madras) secured bronze with 230.5, rounding off a final marked by tight margins and momentum swings in the middle phase. LPU also secured the team gold in 10m Air Rifle with a total of 1884, edging out Panjab University (1878) and Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University (1876.2) in one of the closest team standings of the tournament.
Across pistol, rifle and shotgun, the results reflected both the dominance of established shooting programmes and the rise of new contenders. Panjab University and GNDU once again showcased their depth across multiple events, while individual performances from Simranpreet, Raiza, Neeru and Sakshi highlighted the growing quality in India’s university shooting ecosystem.
With such results, the KIUG shooting competition continues to underline why university sport remains one of the strongest feeders for India’s national shooting teams.
