The National Selection Trials 1&2 Group A at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range delivered a day of elite-level shooting as Maharashtra’s Sakshi Sunil Padekar and Railways’ Shahu Tushar Mane both produced scores that eclipsed the existing national records in the 10m Air Rifle events.
While these marks will not be officially ratified due to trial regulations, their performances sent a clear message: Indian rifle shooting is operating at a new competitive ceiling.
Padekar shattered expectations in the women’s event by firing a stunning 254.3 in the Trial 2 final, bettering the national record previously set by Elavenil Valarivan. In the men’s qualification round, Shahu Mane responded with a breathtaking 637.1, another mark that surpassed the existing national benchmark. The day also belonged to Olympic medallists and world-class shooters, with Arjun Babuta claiming the men’s Trial 2 title and Rahi Sarnobat asserting her dominance in the women’s 25m Pistol.
Sakshi Padekar’s Perfect Day
If there was one athlete who completely owned the arena on Friday, it was Sakshi Sunil Padekar.
The Maharashtra shooter was in control from the first shot of qualification, topping the field with 634.4, before turning the final into a personal showcase. Her 254.3 was not just a winning score it was a technical statement of precision, rhythm and mental stability under pressure. In a format where every decimal is magnified, Padekar kept her grouping tight and her shot timing immaculate, pulling away from the field as the eliminations progressed.
Kerala’s Vidarsa K Vinod mounted a strong challenge, finishing with 252.0, but Padekar never allowed the contest to swing. Behind them, world championship bronze medallist Elavenil Valarivan, the former national record holder, had to settle for third on 231.4 after qualifying second with 633.4. Uttar Pradesh’s Khyati Chaudhary narrowly missed a medal in fourth with 209.7, while Delhi’s Rajshree Sancheti completed the top five.
The depth of the field was underlined by Maharashtra’s Arya Rajesh Borse in sixth, Trial 1 winner Tilottama Sen in seventh, and West Bengal’s Ismita Bhowal, who, despite qualifying strongly, did not start the final. Yet the day clearly belonged to Padekar, whose consistency across qualification and final marked her as one of the most stable performers in Indian women’s rifle shooting at present.
Arjun Babuta Wins a Final for the Ages
The men’s 10m Air Rifle Trial 2 final delivered arguably the most gripping contest of the day. Arjun Babuta, India’s Olympic medal hope, held his nerve to finish first with 253.4, edging Maharashtra’s Parth Rakesh Mane by a microscopic 0.1 point. Both shooters fired identical 10.8s with their last shots, but Babuta’s cumulative accuracy carried him through. The duel was a masterclass in composure under elimination pressure, where even the slightest hesitation could have reversed the result.
Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav finished third with 231.2, while Delhi’s Paarth Makhiya and Telangana’s Dhanush Srikanth rounded out the top five. The most eye-catching number of the day, however, came earlier in qualification. Shahu Tushar Mane, already the Trial 1 champion, posted an extraordinary 637.1, better than the standing national record. It was a performance of near-perfect shot placement, with almost no margin left on the scoring ring.
Yet finals are a different battle. Mane struggled to replicate that rhythm under the lights and finished sixth on 166.5 after a shoot-off with Haryana’s Samarvir Singh. It was a reminder of how brutally competitive the air rifle format has become—where even record-breaking form in qualification offers no guarantees in the final.
Rahi Sarnobat’s Authority in Rapid Fire
In the 25m Pistol Women Trial 2, Rahi Sarnobat reminded everyone why she remains one of India’s most reliable big-match shooters. The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champion powered to gold with 43 hits, comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
Haryana’s Vibhuti Bhatia continued her strong trials with 35 hits for silver, while double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, despite topping qualification with 589-24x, had to settle for bronze with 31. Punjab’s Arshdeep Kaur finished fourth, followed by Simranpreet Kaur Brar and Riya Singh. Anjali Choudhary and Esha Singh did not start the final.
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Though the national record-beating scores by Padekar and Mane will not be officially recognised, their significance is impossible to ignore. These are not outliers they are evidence that the competitive standard inside India now matches the world’s best.
With selection battles intensifying and Olympic and Asian cycles approaching, the Trials have become more than qualifiers they are high-performance arenas where only excellence survives. And on this remarkable Friday in New Delhi, Indian shooting showed it is ready for exactly that level of scrutiny.
