India’s Dhanush Srikanth and Mahit Sandhu continued their dominance at the second World Deaf shooting championship in Hannover, Germany, by clinching the mixed air rifle gold. The duo, who had already set a world record of 628.8 in qualification, showcased their superior skills, defeating their compatriots Mohammed Vania and Natasha Joshi 17-5 in a decisive victory. This marked Dhanush’s second gold medal at the championships, having previously won the individual men’s air rifle gold with two world records.
However, India’s mixed air pistol pair of Abhinav Deshwal and Pranjali Dhumal fell short of the gold medal. Despite topping the qualification with a score of 565, seven points ahead of the Ukrainian team, they were defeated 17-7 by Oleksii Lazenyk and Inna Afonchenko of Ukraine in the final match.
Meanwhile, in the Deaf Open tennis championship in Pinneberg, Germany, India’s Bhavani Kedia impressed by reaching the semifinals. She defeated Caroline Fassone of France 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. But in the semifinals, Kedia faced a tough opponent in world No. 3 and eventual champion Sara Twardowska of Poland, losing 6-0, 6-0.
These performances highlight the incredible talent and determination of India’s deaf athletes on the world stage. They continue to inspire and demonstrate that their abilities are boundless, regardless of their hearing abilities.
