Munish Sood
MANDI:
Shooters from Lakhanpal Shooting Sports Academy, Mandi, made their mark at the 30th Himachal Pradesh State Shooting Championship held at Dhaulakuan in Sirmaur district, winning an impressive 21 medals across different categories.
The state-level competition featured events for men and women in various age groups, testing the skill and consistency of emerging shooters from across Himachal Pradesh.
In the under-12 boys’ category, Greek Minhas clinched a gold medal in the 10m air pistol event while Advik Yadav secured the silver medal. In the girls’ under-12 section, Ridansha Chandran bagged the gold medal.
The academy’s strong performance continued with Arna Dubey, who dominated the women’s categories by winning three gold medals in the under-16, under-19 and under-21 events. Similarly, Arpita Sharma stood out in senior women’s events, securing two gold medals in the 25m and 50m competitions.
Strong show by men’s contingent
The men’s events also witnessed stellar performances. Sarthak Lakhanpal emerged as one of the top performers of the championship, winning four gold medals and two silver medals in the 10m, 25m, and 50m events.
In the junior boys’ category, Arman Verma won the silver medal in the 10m air pistol, while Aditya Rana added another silver medal in the junior NR 10m air pistol event. Vaibhav Jagota added to the medal tally with three gold medals in the men’s 10m, 25m and 50m categories.
Academy director Ajay Lakhanpal expressed pride in the achievements, stating, “Winning 21 medals at the state level is a matter of great honour. The shooters have not only brought glory to the academy but also to Mandi district. Their dedication and discipline are commendable.”
Apart from medal winners, several other shooters from the academy, including Prince Sharma, Aditya Sharma, Akanksha Thakur, Ayan Gupta, Gurdev Singh, Arnav Thakur, Anvit Mahajan, Vaibhav Sharma, Chinmay Sharma, Mehul Lakhanpal, Anvesh Sharma, Shivam Thakur, Ankita Singh Chauhan, Tawishi Sharma and Ilyas Khan, also qualified for upcoming national-level competitions.
These shooters will now represent Himachal Pradesh at the North Zone, All India Kumar Surendra Inter-School and Pre-National Championships, raising hopes for further success on bigger stages.
