Khelo: Cheema & 0.2-pt gap deny Sidhu twins joy of double gold

Chandigarh twins Vijayveer Sidhu and Udhayveer Sidhu were within a fifth of a point, that is 0. 2 points, of winning both the gold medals in shooting at stake at the Khelo India Youth Games here Monday.

Coming in the way of that dream was World Junior Championship bronze medallist Arjun Singh Cheema of Punjab, who edged out Vijayveer Sidhu in the Under-21 final by the slenderest of margins.

Later, Udhayveer Sidhu won the Under-17 gold comfortably, a media release said.

Vijayveer Sidhu made a gallant bid to upstage his rival with two very good shots for 10.5 and 10.7 in the climactic moments.

But even though his team-mate got only 9.9 and 9.8 with his last two shots, Cheema had done well from the start of the final to hold on to a victory by a wafer-thin margin (241.2-240.9) in the Under-21 final, it said.

Later, Udhayveer Sidhu made light of qualifying in sixth place and kept challenging leader Rajkanwar Singh, again of Punjab, until he crumbled in the last four shots.

Udhayveer Sidhu trailed till after the 20th shot but followed that up with 10.8, 10.5, 10.3 and 9.3.

Rajkanwar Singh's meltdown saw him shoot 9.9, 9.1, 9. 6 and 9.9 and finish second (238.8-241.1).

The day started on a disappointing note with news of the celebrated world junior and Asian Games champion Saurabh Chaudhry (Uttar Pradesh) deciding against competing here.

The results (finals): Men junior (under-21) 10m air pistol: 1. Arjun Singh Cheema (Punjab) 241.2; 2. Vijayveer Sidhu (Chandigarh) 240.9; 3. Sarabjot Singh (Haryana) 218.6.

Men junior (under-17) 10m air pistol: 1.Udayveer Sidhu (Chandigarh) 241.1; 2. Rajkanwar Singh (Punjab) 238.8; 3. Mukesh Nelavalli (Andhra Pradesh) 216.7.