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Bhavesh Shekhawat Leads 25m Rapid Fire Pistol at National Shooting Trials

Bhavesh Shekhawat has taken the lead after the first stage of the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the National Selection Trials T3 in New Delhi. Olympian Anish Bhanwala and Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu are tied on score but placed second and third respectively. The trials feature nearly all of India's top shooters competing across 10 events to secure spots in the national squad for upcoming international competitions. Action continues with the 10m rifle events and the second stage of the rapid fire pistol on Saturday.

Key Points: Bhavesh Shekhawat Leads Stage 1 of National Shooting Trials

  • Bhavesh Shekhawat leads with 294
  • Anish Bhanwala places second
  • Rajkanwar Sandhu in third
  • Trials set national squad for World Cups
2 min read

Shooting: Bhavesh Shekhawat leads after Stage 1 of 25m Rapid Fire Pistol at National Selection Trials T3

Bhavesh Shekhawat leads Stage 1 of the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol at National Selection Trials T3. Anish Bhanwala and Rajkanwar Sandhu follow closely.

"Bhavesh Shekhawat took the early lead after Stage 1 in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event - Official Report"

New Delhi, March 6

Bhavesh Shekhawat took the early lead after Stage 1 in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the National Selection Trials T3, which got underway at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in the National Capital Region on Friday.

The shooter from Rajasthan compiled a total of 294 - 11x (99,99,96) in the three series of the first stage to take the lead.

Olympian Anish Bhanwala shot 291-11x (97,98,96) to take second place, while Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu also shot 291 (96,98,97) to place in third. National Champion Suraj Sharma followed with a score of 290-9x (98,95,97).

Ahead of a packed international and domestic calendar beginning next month, almost all of India's top guns are competing in 10 events of the National Selection Trials 3 (Group A), which include all eight Olympic events plus the rifle prone competitions for men and women.

Athletes will be aiming to secure scores to make their case for selection in the national squad for international competitions in the second half of the year.

Rifle/Pistol Selection Trials 3 and 4 for Group B athletes also commenced on Friday and will be conducted at the M.P. State Shooting Academy in Bhopal till March 22, 2026. Following the completion of the selection trials, the national squad athletes will commence their coaching camp in New Delhi from March 10 to 21, 2026.

The National Squad camp for shotgun athletes commenced in New Delhi on Thursday, with the skeet shooters reporting first. The Trap shooters will report for the national camp on the 8th of March, 2026. The national squad camp will be followed by the pre-event camp before the ISSF World Cup Shotgun, the first World Cup of the calendar year, which will be held in Tangier, Morocco, from March 21-April 3, 2026.

Indian teams for the first two Rifle/Pistol (Granada and Munich) and Shotgun (Tangier and Almaty) ISSF World Cup stages of the year have already been announced earlier.

Meanwhile, in the National Selection Trials T3, the 10m rifle athletes will be in action on Saturday, with the qualification and finals scheduled along with Stage 2 and the finals of the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event.

Other Results in T3 trials:

Ankur Goel - 289-12x (99,96,94)

Mukesh Nelavalli - 289-7x (99,93,97)

Vijayveer Sidhu - 289-6x (100,98,91)

Adarsh Singh - 289-4x (95,97,97)

Pradeep Singh - 286-9x (97,97,92)

Omkar Singh - 286-6x (98,100,88)

Udhayveer Sidhu - 284-7x (97,96,91)

Neeraj Kumar - 284-6x (98,98,88)

Mandeep Singh - 281-7x (96,96,89)

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So proud of our shooters! The schedule is packed and they are putting in the hard work. Best of luck to all for Stage 2 tomorrow. Hoping for more consistent scores from everyone.
V
Vikram M
Interesting to see Vijayveer Sidhu with a 100 in his first series but then dropping to 91. Consistency is key in this event. Bhavesh's 99,99,96 is the benchmark. The fight for the national squad spots is going to be intense.
S
Sarah B
The article mentions the calendar is packed, but I wish there was more clarity on the selection criteria. How much weight do these trials carry vs past performance? A bit more transparency would be good for the fans.
R
Rohit P
Good to see the system working. Trials in Delhi and Bhopal simultaneously shows the reach of the sport. Jai ho to all the shooters from Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and other states competing! 🎯
M
Michael C
Impressive depth in the squad. From 294 down to 281, the field is strong. Omkar Singh's series (98,100,88) shows the volatility of the event. One bad series can change everything. Nerve-wracking sport!

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