KIPG 2025: Paralympian Akash wins shooting thriller; Haryana leads medal tally with TN, UP in pursuit
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) In a thrilling battle between Paralympians at the Dr. Karni Shooting Range, Uttar Pradesh’s Akash won the gold medal in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 category ahead of Paris 2024 Paralympian Rudransh Khandelwal of Rajasthan at the Khelo India Para Games 2025 here on Tuesday.
The Khelo India Para Games (KIPG) shooting competition came to an end with Rajasthan topping the medal tally with nine medals that included four gold medals and two silver. Uttar Pradesh (four medals with two gold) and Maharashtra (three medals with two gold) finished second and third in the shooting standings.
With two days of competition left in this edition of the Khelo India Para Games, a total of 166 gold medals have been decided by the end of Day 6 on Tuesday. Haryana (95 medals with 30 gold) has a healthy lead over No. 2 Tamil Nadu (67 with 25 gold) and Uttar Pradesh (54 medals with 22 gold). Rajasthan has 60 medals, with 22 gold medals, but has two fewer silver medals than UP, who have 18.
Khandelwal, who had earlier claimed the gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1, suffered a loss on Tuesday after his pistol malfunctioned at a critical juncture of the final. It gave 2020 Tokyo Paralympian Akash a clear advantage, and the Uttar Pradesh shooter pipped Tamil Nadu’s Sanjeev Kumar for the gold. Akash maintained his cool and scored 15.7 in his final two shots to maintain a lead of 0.2 to take the top spot.
Speaking after the win, Akash, who hails from Khedki village in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, said that he was focused on his own game and was elated to win the gold medal. “I am happy to win the Gold medal here at the Khelo India Para Games. This is the first major step for me as I begin my journey towards Paralympics 2028 in Los Angeles, and winning gold here will boost my confidence,” he said.
The 34-year-old Akash, who has had polio since the age of two, further equated Khelo India Para Games with ‘sanjeevani’, the mythical herb from ‘Ramayana’. “Khelo India Para Games has given us a new lease of life like ‘sanjeevani booti’. We are getting motivated and have a chance to develop. People are also recognising us as it is being broadcast live.”
Meanwhile, Khandelwal, who settled for a bronze, expressed satisfaction with his overall performance. “I am very proud of my performance at the second edition of the Khelo India Para Games. There was a malfunction in my weapon today while I was loading it. This incident was not intentional, and such malfunctions can sometimes occur. The matches were tough, but I played well and in accordance with my skillset. So, I am happy with the overall result.”
The day also saw powerlifters in action at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex. Five more categories were concluded, and Tamil Nadu’s Kasthuri Rajamani, who won gold in the last edition of the Khelo India Para Games in December 2023, clinched her second KIPG gold by emerging winner in the women’s 67kg category on Tuesday.
Another former Khelo India Para Games gold medallist, Sumit Kumar, also defended his title in the men’s 97 kg weight category.
Table tennis action got underway at the Indira Gandhi Stadium complex. The seven-time national champion Shubham Wadhwa from Punjab advanced to the next round after beating Karnataka’s Jaganath HM in straight sets.
–IANS
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