New Delhi: Indian Navy’s shooter Niraj Kumar grabbed the spotlight by defeating Paris Olympic medallist Swapnil Kusale at the 38th National Games in Dehradun. Niraj started the day on a great note as he defeated Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar to clinch the gold medal in the men’s 50-metre rifle 3 positions.
The 25-year-old Niraj, who is representing Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) has a habit of winning medals in top competitions. He shot a brilliant score of 464.1 to secure the top spot. Madhya Pradesh’s Aishwary Pratap won the silver medal with a score of 462.4, while Maharashtra’s Swapnil, who created history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win an Olympic bronze medal in this event in Paris last year, secured third position with 447.7.
Haryana’s Suruchi Singh and Parmod defeated Rajasthan’s Anjali Shekhawat and Umesh Choudhary 17-7 to clinch the gold medal in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event and Maharashtra’s Rahi Sarnobat and Pranav Arvind Patil defeated Uttarakhand’s Abhinav Deshwal and Yashasvi Joshi by 17-3 to win bronze medal.
Deepika, Juyel win gold in archery
West Bengal’s archer Juyel Sarkar defeated a four-time Olympian Tarundeep Rai and became the recurve champion while Deepika Kumari won the women’s gold. Jharkhand and Maharashtra won two gold medals each, while West Bengal won one on the sixth and last day of archery competitions. Deepika, who reached in the quarterfinals of the women’s event at the Paris Olympics won two gold medals, one each in the individual and team event.
National Games 2025 medal tally
Karnataka is at the top of the medal tally with 30 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze and Services is in second position with 28 gold, 12 silver and as many bronze. Maharashtra moved to third spot with 19 gold, 36 silver and 33 bronze.
| Rank | State/UT | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Karnataka | 30 | 11 | 15 | 56 |
| 2 | Services Sports Control Board | 28 | 12 | 12 | 52 |
| 3 | Maharashtra | 19 | 36 | 33 | 88 |
| 4 | Madhya Pradesh | 18 | 8 | 10 | 36 |
| 5 | Haryana | 13 | 20 | 22 | 55 |
| 6 | Tamil Nadu | 12 | 17 | 18 | 47 |
| 7 | Manipur | 11 | 10 | 8 | 29 |
| 8 | Delhi | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
| 9 | Kerala | 9 | 9 | 6 | 24 |
| 10 | Punjab | 8 | 9 | 16 | 33 |
Niraj Kumar clinched the gold medal in the men’s 50-metre rifle 3 positions event as he outclassed the Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
