Ace shooter Tejaswini Tops MQS Round in 50m Rifle Prone

Tejaswini Sawant shot 622.7 to finish ahead of three other compatriots and six Iranians.

Tejaswini Sawant in action. 

Image: IANS

Former world champion Tejaswini Sawant topped the Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) section of the 50m rifle prone event at the European Shooting Championship in Osijek, Croatia, on Thursday.

Tejaswini, 40, in her first MQS outing at the championship, shot 622.7 to finish ahead of three other compatriots and six Iranians, lined up for the MQS section, where shooters compete for official scores only and not medals. The rifle shooter from Maharashtra will represent India in the 50m rifle 3 positions event at the Olympic Games, her maiden stint at the quadrennial games.

Upcoming rifle ace Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar shot 620.3 to finish second best in the field of nine shooters while Sanjeev Rajput scored 619.7. Anjum Moudgil, the fourth shooter in the field, shot 619.2.

Both Rajput and Tomar have qualified for the 50m 3 positions event for men of the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, Anjum will compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team as well as in the 50m rifle 3 positions for women.

Henrik Larsen of Norway was the top scorer among the 50m prone rifle shooters as he shot 628.8. The prone event is no longer an Olympic event but is included in continental competitions.

The 13-member Indian Olympic pistol and rifle squad are training and competing in Croatia and will directly head to Tokyo from Europe.