Dhanush and Priyesha extend India’s Shooting gold rush at 24th Deaflympic

Dhanush Srikanth and Priyesha Deshmukh after the final in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: Dhanush Srikanth teamed up with Priyesha Deshmukh to win gold in the 10M Air Rifle Mixed Team competition at the ongoing 24th Deaflympics 2021 in Caxais do Sul, Brazil. Shooting on competition day six Saturday, Dhanush and Priyesha beat Germany’s Sebastian Herrmany and Sabrina Eckert 16-10 in the gold medal match. This was Dhanush’s second gold of the Games after having won the Men’s 10M Air Rifle

This was Dhanush’s second gold of the Games, having won the Men’s 10M Air Rifle individual event earlier. Also, India now has three gold medals in Shooting at the Deaflympics 2021 with Abhinav Deshwal winning the Men’s 10M Air Pistol event on Friday. India also has two bronze medals through Shourya Saini in the Men’s 10M Air Rifle and Vedika Sharma in the Women’s 10M Air Pistol, for a total of five medals from Shooting alone.

Dhanush Srikanth & Priyesha Deshmukh on top of the podium at Caxias do Sul, Brazil, after winning gold in the 10M Air Rifle Mixed team event at the 24th Deaflympics.

Shourya and Natasha Joshi, the second Indian pair in the 10M Air Rifle Mixed Team competition, also made it to the bronze medal match, but went down 8-16 to the Ukranian pair of Oleksandr Kostyk and Violeta Lykova.

Dhanush and Priyesha were in their elements from the qualification round itself, where they topped the eight-team field with a combined effort of 414.0 to ensure a shot at gold. The German’s who followed them to the title round were a distant second with 408.7. Shourya and Natasha finished third with 407.4 but the fourth finishing Ukranian pair turned the tables on them in the medal round.

India has sent 10 Shooters in their 65-strong contingent for the Brazil Deaflympics.