New Delhi witnessed another high-quality day of shooting at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range as India’s elite rifle and pistol shooters continued their battle for national selection in Group A. The spotlight belonged firmly to Tilottama Sen, who made it two wins out of two in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, while Manu Bhaker and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar also underlined their class with commanding victories in their respective events.
The second day of competition confirmed what had already been evident in Trial 1: Tilottama Sen is in formidable form at the start of the new season. After topping the podium in T1, the Karnataka shooter produced another calm and authoritative performance in T2 to once again claim first place in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions final. Shooting 361.5 across 35 shots, Tilottama finished well clear of her closest challenger, Ayushi Podder of Railways, who ended with 358.4. Her consistency through all three positions kneeling, prone and standing ensured that she remained in control throughout the final.
Surabhi Bharadwaj Rapole, Tilottama’s Railways teammate, took third place with 348.3, continuing her steady run across the trials. Manini Kaushik, who had finished third in T1, placed fourth this time with 336.3, while Ashi Chouksey (326.4), Nupur Kumrawat (315.6), Anjum Moudgil (305.0) and Vidarsa K. Vinod (302.8) rounded out the eight-shooter final. The spread of scores reflected both the depth and competitiveness in India’s women’s 3P field, but Tilottama’s two straight wins have clearly set her apart as the shooter to beat at this stage.
In the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions T2 final, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar made a strong statement of his own. After finishing third in T1, the Paris bronze medallist responded with a composed and clinical display to take the top spot in T2, shooting 359.7 in the final. Aishwary looked in complete control as he built a steady lead, combining precision with the kind of mental composure that has made him one of India’s most reliable performers in major competitions.
He was pushed closely by Swapnil Kusale, who finished second with 357.7. Kusale, another Olympic medallist, showed excellent consistency throughout the final, keeping the pressure on Aishwary until the closing stages. Rudraankksh Patil, the former world champion in 10m Air Rifle, finished third with 347.5, continuing to demonstrate his adaptability across disciplines.
T1 winner Niraj Kumar had to settle for fourth this time with 336.3, while Akshil Sheoran (326.5), Adriyan Karmakar (314.6), Nishan Budha (303.2) and Chain Singh (302.0) completed the lineup. With two trials now done, the men’s 3P picture remains tightly contested, but Aishwary’s T2 victory has brought him firmly back into the spotlight.
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The pistol range, meanwhile, saw Manu Bhaker once again proving why she remains one of India’s biggest stars. In the women’s 25m Pistol T1 final, Manu delivered a composed and dominant performance to take the top spot with a score of 37. That put her six points clear of Haryana’s Vibhuti Bhatia, who finished second with 31, underlining Manu’s control and consistency across the stages of the final.
Divya T.S of Karnataka secured third place with 28, while Tejaswani Singh finished fourth with 26 after being eliminated in a shootout with Vibhuti. Rahi Sarnobat (22), Chinki Yadav (17) and Rhythm Sangwan (12) were the other finalists. Notably, Esha Singh, who had qualified in the top eight, did not start the final, adding another small twist to an already intriguing contest.
With the opening days of the trials now complete, the focus will shift to the next set of key events. The 10m Air Rifle T1 finals for both men and women are scheduled for tomorrow, alongside the T2 finals of the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. These competitions will further shape the selection picture as India’s shooters vie for national team spots and international opportunities.
What has stood out so far is the blend of established champions and rising talents pushing each other to higher standards. Tilottama Sen’s back-to-back wins have marked her as the early leader in women’s 3P, while Aishwary Tomar’s bounce-back victory and Manu Bhaker’s authoritative pistol performance underline the depth of elite quality across disciplines.
As the trials progress, the battle for selection promises to grow even more intense, but Day Two has already delivered clear evidence that India’s shooting bench strength remains one of the strongest in the world.
