Faridabad (Haryana) [India], September 25 (ANI): With Indian shooting making a strong mark at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the next generation of shooters got an opportunity to showcase their potential at the ISSO Shooting Nationals, held at Sancta Maria International School, Faridabad.

More than 200 young shooters representing over 75 schools competed across four days, with events conducted across the U-14, U-17 and U-19 boys' and girls' categories.

India's recent performances in 10m air rifle at the Asian Games have provided another example of the heights young shooters can aspire to. Indian shooters have secured four silver medals and one bronze in 10m air rifle events at the Games, according to a press release from ISSO.

The ISSO Shooting Nationals provided a platform for school athletes to experience competitive shooting at an organised national level, with the discipline, patience, precision and sustained practice required in the sport evident throughout the four-day competition.

In the U-14 categories, the gold medal winners included Dyuti Reddy Chavva (One World International School - Sarjapur Campus) in 10m Air Pistol Girls, Vrinda Srivastava (Candor International School) in 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight Girls, Ripanshi Dutta (Calcutta International School) in 10m Air Rifle Open Sight Girls, Adhavan Karthikkumar (HLC International School) in 10m Air Pistol Boys, Vivaan Ayyar (Oakridge International School Bangalore) in 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight Boys and Rudra Sachin Awale (Sanjay Ghodawat International School) in 10m Air Rifle Open Sight Boys.

In the U-17 categories, Niara Abhijit Kedar (Chatrabhuj Narsee School, Mumbai) won gold in 10m Air Pistol Girls, while Riya Pradeep Rathnam (One World International School - Sarjapur Campus) and Rimsha Sachin Patil (Sanjay Ghodawat International School) secured gold in the 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight and Open Sight Girls events, respectively. In the boys' events, Chadhurvedh M (Lady Andal School) won 10m Air Pistol gold, Ayush P Chipalkatti (Primus Public School) topped the 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight event, and Parshva Modi (Utpal Shanghvi Global School) won gold in the Open Sight event.

The U-19 categories saw Niharika Kabra (Neerja Modi World School) win gold in 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight Girls, Bomin Kim (Lancers International School) in 10m Air Pistol Girls and Urvi Deepak Salokhe (Sanjay Ghodawat International School) in 10m Air Rifle Open Sight Girls. Among the boys, Jay Tushar Donga (Mayo College) won the 10m Air Rifle Peep Sight title, Indraneel Dattatraya Mahamuni (Vishwashanti Gurukul World School) topped the 10m Air Pistol event, and Harshwardhan Umesh Bhosale (Sanjay Ghodawat International School) secured gold in 10m Air Rifle Open Sight.

Speaking on the conclusion of the Nationals, Gaurav Dixit, Director, ISSO, said, "Shooting is a sport that teaches young athletes some of the most important qualities in sport, including patience, discipline, precision and the ability to remain focused under pressure. With Indian shooters currently producing some excellent performances at the Asian Games, platforms like the ISSO Shooting Nationals become even more meaningful in giving young athletes the opportunity to develop their skills and dream of reaching that level one day. We are grateful to Sancta Maria International School for hosting the Nationals and providing the students with a strong platform to compete and grow."

Smriti K, Head of School, Sancta Maria International School, Faridabad, said, "It was a wonderful experience to host the ISSO Shooting Nationals at Sancta Maria International School, Faridabad. We are proud to be associated with ISSO and its continued efforts to broaden and strengthen sporting opportunities for school students. It is encouraging to see the growing interest among children in diverse sporting disciplines, and we look forward to supporting many more such opportunities for our young athletes."

The Nationals highlighted the growing interest in shooting among school athletes, while providing participants with valuable competitive exposure and an opportunity to experience the demands of the sport at a national school level. (ANI)