By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Suman Sanghera, 20, of Great Falls, VA, is the 2025 National Air Pistol Champion.
Sanghera earned the top spot in the Championship over SSG Nick Mowrer, 36, of Colorado Springs, CO. Finding third was Bilge Coban, 23, of Brooklyn, NY. Sanghera was also the high junior of the match.
The National Air Pistol Championship, conducted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) as part of the annual National Matches at Camp Perry, consisted of two days of 60 Shot events, along with an elimination final to determine the overall winner. A four-member team championship was also held concurrently with the individual competition.
“We were very pleased with the turnout for this year’s National Air Pistol Championship,” said Katie Harrington, CMP’s air gun manager. “There was a significant increase in participation for this year’s event, with novice competitors to national team members and even Olympians.”
The 2025 Air Pistol Championships saw a 73 percent increase from last year’s numbers to this year’s, to the delight of competitors and CMP staff alike.
“Our goal is to grow our air pistol program, especially to junior athletes, so to see this kind of interest in this year’s championship was really encouraging,” Harrington added.
The National Air Pistol Championship ran during the National Prone Smallbore Rifle and National Pistol events at Camp Perry. Welcoming both adult and junior athletes, the Championship was held within the electronic air gun range of the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, open year-round for public events as well as national-level competitions.
In team competition, Sanghera combined scores with Elie Arkin, William Regala and Caroline Tso to form NOVA Sharpshooters White, which led the team competition by 25 points, with a score of 2232-53X.
Sanghera went on to lead the 40 Shot Air Pistol Match, part of the National Matches Air Gun events, as well as the 30 Shot Air Pistol Best Center Shot Match. Though Sanghera had the high score in the latter, the best center shot went to Jeff Ekblad, 57, of Red Wind, MN, who took home a prize of $213 (based on the number of entries) for his shot closest to center.
Other overall winners of the National Matches Air Gun events:
AiR-15 Challenge: SPC Zevin Linse, 23, Columbus, GA – 396-13X
30 Shot Sporter Bench Match: James Mervyn, 51, Sumpter Twp, MI – 310.3
30 Shot Precision Bench Match: Robert Tackett, 55, Findlay, OH – 319.1
30 Shot AiR-15 Bench Match: Larry Bush, 77, Perrysburg, OH – 306.2
60 Shot Sporter Bench Match: James Mervyn, 23, Columbus, GA – 617.3
60 Shot Precision Bench Match: Robert Tackett, 55, Findlay, OH – 632.7
60 Shot AiR-15 Bench Match: James Mervyn, 23, Columbus, GA – 569.7
Outside of air gun, the CMP offered a few Steel Challenge matches on the Competition Center’s Laser Shot Simulators, where participants competed for the fastest completion time. Leading the Rifle Steel Challenge was Jacob Shelton, 35, of Carthage, NC, with the fastest time of 9.07 seconds. Pierre LeClair claimed the fastest time in the Pistol Steel Challenge, recording 8.23 seconds.
The CMP also hosted a Beat The Pro contest, where individuals fired within a Practical Shooting Course of the Simulator in an attempt to best the score of CMP’s own Ryan Hinson: 82.7. Though no one topped the score, Pierre LeClair, 37, of Spring Mills, PA, was the closest competitor, reaching a score of 71.16.
Find a complete list of results of the 2025 National Air Pistol Championships at https://ct.thecmp.org/2025NMAGSBResults. Photos are available for free viewing and download on CMP’s Zenfolio page at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f578292959.
Find a complete list of results of the 2025 National Air Gun events at https://ct.thecmp.org/NMAirGunResults25results. Photos are available for free viewing and download on CMP’s Zenfolio page at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p273724157.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that places its highest priority on firearms safety and marksmanship activities, with a focus on youth. CMP’s programs encourage personal growth and build life skills, with such initiatives as its junior training and competition programs, Affiliated Club program and scholarships providing support to citizens of all backgrounds across the nation. Learn more about the CMP at https://thecmp.org/.
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