Odisha woman shooting international Shriyanka Sadango won the gold medal in the 13th Lakshya Cup Air Rifle Shooting Competition at the Karnala Sports Academy range in Panvel, Maharashtra today. She, thus, became only the second woman champion of the gender-neutral Lakshya Cup.

In the final of the two-day competition, 27-year-old Shriyanka beat Yukthi Rajendra 16-12. Interestingly, Shriyanka had finished runner-up to Meghana Sajjanar in 2016, the previous woman champion, and had always wanted to get her hand on the champion trophy.

In a tough competition, in which the reigning World champion Rudrankksh Patil (628.2) failed to make the medal stage, Shriyanka was consistently brilliant in pocketing the top prize of Rs1,50,000.

Delhi-based Sambalpur shooter Shriyanka topped qualification with 631.4, while second-best Samiksha Dhingra managed 629.3. In the elimination round, Shriyanka topped with 261.2.

In the gold contest, Shriyanka was leading 12-6 before the 18-year-old Yukthi pressed hard with a string of good shots including a 10.9 to bridge the gap to 12-14. However, Shriyanka sealed the gold with a 10.3 as Yukthi shot 10.0.

“I have had a good year and this was the cherry on the cake”, said Shriyanka, all praise for Dronacharya Suma Shirur, the president of Lakshya Shooting Club for the meticulous conduct of the championship and best guidance over the years.
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PHOTO: Odisha shooting ace Shriyanka Sadangi poses with the Lakshya Cup trophy and gold medal in Panvel on 25 December 2022.