Underdog Triumph: Kiran Jadhav's Golden Moment at Lakshya Cup

Kiran Jadhav of Navy won the 10m air-rifle gold at the 15th Lakshya Cup. Despite being a consistent finalist since 2018, this marks his first victory. He outperformed Gajanan Khandagale and Mohit Gowda to secure the win. Paris Olympics finalist Arjun Babuta finished fourth.

Kiran Jadhav of the Navy clinched the 10m air-rifle gold at the 15th Lakshya Cup tournament, outperforming several reputed contestants.

The 29-year-old accumulated 251.7 points, securing his inaugural triumph after years of consecutive finals appearances since 2018. Jadhav edged out Maharashtra's Gajanan Khandagale, who scored 250.9, while Mohit Gowda, also from Maharashtra, claimed third with 229.3 points.

Expected victor, Paris Olympics finalist Arjun Babuta of Railways, fell short, finishing in fourth place with 208.2 points. Reigning national champions Shahu Mane and Ananya Naidu failed to qualify for the finals, with Mane scoring 629.0 and 626.4 points in the qualifiers. Top qualifiers included Mohit Gowda with 630.5 points, while notable Olympians like Divyansh Singh Panwar and Sandeep Singh did not advance to the final rounds.

(With inputs from agencies.)