Indian sports wrap, December 15: Manu Bhaker, Ojas Deotale triumphant at shooting and archery Nationals

Bringing you the major updates, scores, and results of Indians from the world of sports on Monday.

SHOOTING

Bhaker, Simranpreet finish top of the pile in 25m pistol at Nationals

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and ISSF World Cup Final winner Simranpreet Kaur Brar delivered top-class performances at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, winning the gold medals in the senior and junior women’s 25m sports pistol events, respectively, at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC).

Bhaker shot 36 in the final to secure the gold, finishing four hits clear of Divya T.S. of Karnataka, who took silver with 32. Anjali Choudhary claimed the bronze medal after hitting 28 targets. Rhythm Sangwan (22) finished fourth, followed by Arshdeep Kaur (18), Annu Raj Singh (14), and Anuja Verma (11) in fifth, sixth, and seventh positions, respectively. Parisha Gupta did not start in the final.

Earlier, Divya topped the qualification round with a score of 587-22x, ahead of Anjali (582-19x). Annu Raj finished third with 582-16x, while Bhaker qualified fourth with 581-19x. Parisha placed fifth with 581-14x, followed by Rhythm (579-17x), with Arshdeep and Anuja completing the top eight with 578-19x.

In the junior section, Simranpreet continued her impressive run, shooting 39 to claim the gold medal. Dwaram Pranavi won silver, while Palak of Haryana picked up bronze with 20. Tanu Shree Tomar (19) finished fourth after bowing out in the shoot-off, followed by Sejal Raju Kamble (14), Megana Sadula (11), and Lavanya Kanwar (7). Parisha did not start in the final in this category as well.

The junior qualification round was topped by Parisha, with Simranpreet qualifying second with 578-13x. Palak (575-14x) finished third, followed by Sejal (575-12x), Tanu Shree (573-11x), Lavanya (572-17x), Sadula (572-13x), and Pranavi (572-11x).

In the women’s team event of 25m sports pistol, Maharashtra clinched the gold medal with a combined score of 1726-40x, through Shital Preetam Desai (577-12x), Abhidnya Ashok Patil (575-13x), and Rahi Sarnobat (574-15x). The Army Marksmanship Unit (Anuja, Sejal, and Anjali Bhagwat) finished second with 1722-44x, while Haryana (Rhythm, Vibhuti Bhatia, and Tejaswani) secured the bronze medal with 1718-43x.

The Army Marksmanship Unit (Sejal, Jiya Jakhar, and Anjali) claimed gold with 1714-38x, while Delhi (Parisha, Kamakshi Kumar, and Naamya Kapoor) secured silver with 1714-36x. Punjab (Simrampreet, Agam Grewal, and Jasman Kelley) won the bronze medal with 1709-40x.

The championship action continues on Tuesday with the men’s Skeet finals scheduled in New Delhi, while the 50m Rifle 3 Positions women’s finals will take place at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal.

-Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Chotrani, Semwal and Chand to take part in CCI Western India squash tournament

Veer Chotrani, Anjali Semwal, and Suraj Chand will be among the prominent players to take part in the 80th edition of the CCI Western India Squash Tournament here from December 17 to 21.

The tournament is organised under the Squash Rackets Federation of India and the Maharashtra Squash Rackets Association and will be played at six glass-backed courts at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai.

“The rise of multiple Indian players in the PSA World Top 100, including Sourav Ghoshal’s and Joshna Chinappa’s historic surge into the Top 10, underlines the event’s impact on India’s professional squash ecosystem, particularly its role in advancing world-class women athletes,” the organisers said in a release.

The competition will be held in multiple categories of boys and girls (juniors) as well as men and women (seniors).

-PTI

CRICKET

Andhra Pradesh will host the Blind Premier League in 2026. In an attempt to strengthen grassroots developments, 26 teams will be established across as many districts of the State.

FOOTBALL

Manchester City and JAIN Sports launch new Football School in India

Manchester City and JAIN Sports have announced a new Manchester City Football School at JAIN Global Campus in Bengaluru.

This collaboration will deliver a football education programme that combines Manchester City’s renowned playing philosophy to nurture India’s emerging sports talent.

– Team Sportstar

ARCHERY

Senior National Archery Championship: Ojas beats Abhishek to men’s individual compound gold

Maharashtra’s Ojas Pravin Deotale brought his A game to the Senior National Archery Championship at the Hyderabad Public School, beating Delhi’s Abhishek Verma to win gold in the men’s individual compound event.

The ever-chirpy Ojas stayed focused throughout his battle with veteran Abhishek, the pair going toe-to-toe at every step of the way. Cheered on by fellow archers and coaches from all teams, they did not drop a single point after five rounds, finishing with 150 points apiece.

In the shootout, Abhishek faltered by the smallest of margins—28 points to Ojas’ 30—to miss the podium top step.

In the bronze medal clash, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav (RPSB) beat Mohit Dagar (Haryana) 149-145.

In the women’s individual compound event, Aditi Swami (Maharashtra) and Sakshi Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) were locked in a closely fought battle for the gold. Aditi bagged a slew of 10s in the first three rounds, while Sakshi dropped three points.

Aditi, however, gave Sakshi an opening in the fourth round, with the deficit narrowing to a single point. Each managed 29 points in the final round, with Aditi relieved to come out on top (146-145).

Madhura Dhamangaonkar (Maharashtra) defeated Swati Dudhwal (Rajasthan) 148-146 to secure bronze.

-Anirudh Velamuri

Published on Dec 15, 2025