Melba shoots gold at Kerala State Shooting Championship

Melba Mary Santhosh of Idukki struck gold in women's 25m sports pistol with a new record of 261 score on the final day of the 51st Kerala State Shooting Championship at Calicut Rifle Club Range, Thondayad in Kozhikode on Sunday.
Idukki made it 1-2-3 when Sereena Rose Joyce (201) and Kalyani Santhosh (191) took silver and bronze medals.
Para-shooter Sidhartha Babu stole the limelight when he won gold in men's 50m prone event with a score of 586.Ron George V (579) and Srawan Jawahar (570) took silver and bronze medals.
Another highlight of the third days was the silent debut of 9-member Kerala Police team comprising Bijulal V, Sreeraj P, Joju NJ, Sundarlal KS, Biju K, Sarath NT, Sinoj Soman, Suneeshkumar B, and lone women shooter Keerthy Suseelan who finished with commendable 13 medals including 3 gold, eight silver and two bronze medals. National and Asian champion Elizabeth Susan Koshy who is the first to join the cops was conspicuously absent.
"Elizabeth who is the captain of Kerala Police shooting team which was formed recently was forced to leave the team camp to attend another camp in Pune conducted by an international coach," a source in the team told TOI on Sunday.
Palakkad's Prabitha P, Sreehari KC and Ernakulam's Naveen PR were declared individual champions.
Meanwhile Idukki (427) retained the overall title while Palakkad (399) were runners-up.