Dhanush upsets World Cupmedallist Babuta, wins airrifle gold

Telangana's Dhanush Srikant Friday upstaged two-time Junior World Cup bronze medallist Arjun Babuta of Punjab in men's under-21 10m air rifle final in the Khelo India Youth Games here and claimed the gold.

Dhanush was a picture of consistency through the day, topping the qualification with 629.7, his best score.

He showed nerves of steel in the final where he was ahead of competition after each shot.

The 16-year-old, who has been shooting for just over two years after becoming a taekwondo Dan 2, is a product of Project Leap run by Olympic medallist Gagan Narang's Gun for Glory.

Arjun Babuta, who won Junior World Cup bronze medal in Gabala in 2016 and in Sydney last year, was third in qualification and remained in that spot in the final.

Goa's Yash Yogesh earned silver, a mere 1.3 points behind the Hyderabad lad.

Dhanush's mother Asha Srikant revealed that he had a Cochlear implant -- a hearing aid device -- in his first year.

"He has been a happy, active child and has not needed to go to a special school," she was quoted as saying in a media release.

Meanwhile, the U-17 final produced fireworks with only 0.2 points separating gold medallist Avinash Yadav of Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan's Divyansh Singh.

Results(finals): Men's under-21 10m air rifle: 1. Dhanush Srikant (Telangana) 248.9; 2.Yash Yogesh (Goa) 247. 6; 3. Arjun Babuta (Punjab) 225.6.

Men's under-17 10m air rifle: 1. Avinash Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 250.9; 2.Divyansh Singh P (Rajasthan) 250.7; Yashvardhan (Rajasthan) 228.1.