Indian Sports Report, December 15: Manu Bhaker and Ojas Deotale triumph in Shooting and Archery Nationals

I bring you the most important updates, scores and results from Indians from the sports world on Mondays.

TO SHOOT

Bhaker and Simranpreet finish top of the pile with a 25 meter pistol at Nationals

Two-time Olympic medalist 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 and won the gold medals respectively in the senior and junior women’s 25 meter sporting pistol events at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC).

Bhaker shot 36 in the final to secure the gold, finishing four hits ahead of Divya TS 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) at fifth, sixth and seventh positions respectively. Parisha Gupta did not start in the final.

Earlier, Divya topped the qualifying 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 came fifth with 581-14x, followed by Rhythm (579-17x), with Arshdeep and Anuja rounding out the top eight with 578-19x.

In the junior section, Simranpreet continued her impressive run and shot 39 to claim the gold medal. Dwaram Pranavi won silver, while Palak of Haryana took 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 either.

The junior qualifying round was led by Parisha, while Simranpreet qualified 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 25 meter sporting pistol team event, 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) claimed 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 women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions final will take place at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal.

-Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Chotrani, Semwal and Chand are participating in the CCI Western India squash tournament

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

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

“The emergence of multiple Indian players in the PSA World Top 100, including the historic rise of Sourav Ghoshal and Joshna Chinappa to the Top 10, underlines the event’s impact on India’s professional squash ecosystem, especially its role in promoting world-class female athletes,” organizers said in a press release.

The competition is held in multiple categories of boys and girls (juniors) and men and women (seniors).

-PTI

CRICKET

Andhra Pradesh will host the Blind Premier League in 2026. In a bid to strengthen grassroots developments, 26 teams will be set up in as many districts of the state.

FOOTBALL

Manchester City and JAIN Sports launch a new football school in India

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

This partnership will deliver a football education program that combines Manchester City’s renowned playing philosophy to nurture India’s emerging sporting talent.

– Team Sportstar

ARCHERY

Senior National Archery Championship: Ojas defeats Abhishek to win men’s individual composite gold

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

The ever-upbeat Ojas remained focused during his fight with veteran Abhishek, with the pair going toe-to-toe with every step. Encouraged by fellow archers and coaches from all teams, they did not drop a single point after five rounds and finished with 150 points each.

In the shootout, Abhishek faltered by the narrowest of margins (28 points to Ojas’ 30) and missed the step on the podium.

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

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

However, Aditi gave Sakshi an opening in the fourth round, reducing the deficit to one point. Each scored 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 December 15, 2025