Devanshi Ranas solid start provided her the necessary insurance against a less than productive showing in the final stages to win the junior (Under-21) womens 25m pistol gold in the Khelo India Youth Games here on Sunday.
In the end, National junior pistol coach Jaspal Rana's daughter held off a challenge by Haryana's resurgent Anjali Choudhary.
In a field that was bereft of shooters like Manu Bhaker and Muskaan (both Haryana), the Delhi girl won by the barest of margins, 24-23 after dueling with Anjali Choudhary.
The Haryana girl's confidence and rhythm found expression after she secured four hits (10.2 points or higher) in the ninth series to force a shoot-off with the consistent Abhidnya Patil (Maharashtra).
She won that battle to get the chance to topple the Delhi girl from the pedestal. The 19-year-old from Delhi managed just one hit to finish with 24.
Devanshi heaved a sigh of relief that Anjali did not replicate her score from the previous round but had only three hits in the last series. She herself had done well to start the final with nine hits from the first competition stage of 15 shots.
Anjali hit a purple patch, scoring 17 hits off 30 (against 15 by Devanshi) but by securing just three hits in that final series, she let Devanshi Rana, who has represented India in Junior World Cups and Junior World Championships, keep her nose ahead and claim the gold medal.
West Bengal's Mehuli Ghosh became the first double gold medallist in shooting at KIYG2019 when she teamed up with 10-year-old Abhinav Shaw in the 10m air rifle mixed team event.
Despite slipping into practice mode after winning the individual gold on Saturday, Mehuli Ghosh kept her tryst with the 10s every time today to steal a march on Gujarat shooter Elavenil Valarivan again.
Manisha Keer followed suit not too long after by winning the mixed trap gold for Madhya Pradesh with Anwer Hassan Khan. She had claimed gold in the women's trap yesterday. The Madhya Pradesh pair shot down 35 birds in the 50-shot final. Delhi's Vrishankaditya Parmar and Kirti Gupta shot 32 to take the silver medal.
Yet, despite Mehuli and Manisha's double gold medals, it was Devanshi Rana who took the largest share of the spotlight on Sunday.
--IANS
ajb/sed
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