Mane, Khitta win shooting gold; Natraj claims 100m backstroke

Mane of Maharashtra and Zeena Khitta of Chandigarh bagged the boys and girls 10m air rifle events respectively at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges on Friday.

Mane qualified sixth, but rose to win gold with a score of 247.7 points. India’s top shooter Hriday Hazarika of Assam qualified for the final, but faded away.

Zeena won the girl’s event with a score of 251.6, after being placed sixth in qualification.

NEWDELHI:Shahu

MAKING A SPLASH

Karnataka’s Srihari Natraj won the boys 100m backstroke at the Talkotara pool.

Natraj had won the individual championship at last year’s junior national swimming in Pune and was declared best swimmer in the senior nationals held in Bhopal in October. The talented swimmer has also qualified for the Youth Olympics to be held in Argentina in November.

MANIPUR’S LAISHRAM METIEI WINS

Laishram Sayon Metiei made a mark for Manipur after reaching the final of the boys’ 50kg Greco-Roman event. Sayon, who represented India at the 2016 Asian and World Cadet Championships, will face Haryana’s Pradeep Vinod.

“In Manipur, wrestling is called Mukna,” said his coach Muhindro Singh.

“Mukna is a legacy of Manipur’s royalty. It is considered prestigious when men fight it out in a show of strength and ultimately emerges victorious. We come from a mountainous region. Wrestling is in our blood, especially the Greco-Roman style.”