Smit's skeet double helps Punjab pip Maharashtra

Smit Singh bagged a golden double in men's skeet on the concluding day of shooting competitions in the 35th National Games to help Punjab edge out Maharashtra and finish second in the shooting medals tally at the Kerala Police Academy Range here Sunday. Services finished on top.

Smit won the individual gold with a combined finals score of 28 with the more fancied Mairaj Ahmed Khan of Uttar Pradesh finishing second with an identical combined score, but he lost out on a low score of 13 in the final round. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa of Punjab won the bronze with 27.

Smit and Angad also teamed up with Karam Sukhbir Singh to help Punjab bag the men's team gold in skeet. Their final tally of 329 was better than the 327 that of Parampal Singh Guron, Rajpal Singh Kocchar and Mohd. Hamza Shiekh of Chattisgarh, who managed the silver. Services finished with the bronze.

Services comfortably finished on top of the National Games shooting medals tally with a total haul of 26 medals -- 15 golds, four silvers and seven bronzes. Punjab won 15 medals -- seven golds, six silvers and two bronzes while Maharashtra finished third with 13 metals -- six golds, three silvers and four bronzes.