Indian Shooters Shine at 19th Asian Games: Gold and Two Bronze Medals

Indian shooters showcased their exceptional marksmanship at the 19th Asian Games, clinching a gold medal in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event and two bronze medals in the Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team and Men’s 10m Air Rifle Individual events. The impressive performances unfolded at the shooting ranges within the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre on a memorable day of competition.

In the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event at Asian Games, the Indian trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Rudransh Patil achieved a remarkable feat by securing the gold medal. They achieved a world record-breaking score of 1893.7 at the 10m range, setting a new standard for excellence. Tomar, in particular, continued his excellent form by capturing the bronze medal in the individual competition after a shoot-out victory over his teammate Rudransh Patil.

The Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team competition witnessed the Indian team of Adarsh Singh, Anish Bhanwala, and Vijayveer Sidhu clinching the bronze medal with a combined total of 1718 points. This remarkable achievement placed them third, with host China and the Republic of Korea securing the first and second positions, respectively, with scores of 1765 and 1734 points.

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The highlight of the day undoubtedly belonged to the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event, where the Indian contingent delivered a superb performance. Aishwary Tomar, Rudransh Patil, and Divyansh Panwar collectively scored an impressive 1893.7 points, surpassing the previous world record of 1983.3 points set by China at the ISSF World Cup in Baku earlier in the year.

During the initial 10-shot round, the Indian team secured the second position with a score of 313.7, with China taking the lead at 315.0. Korea started with 311.3 points, while Japan and Bangladesh followed closely with 313.1 and 313.3 points, respectively.

The Indian shooters demonstrated remarkable consistency, achieving scores of 315.9 in the second round, followed by strong performances with scores of 313.7, 315.9, 318.7, and 315.8 in the subsequent rounds, ultimately clinching the top spot.

Korea secured the silver medal with a total score of 1890.1, while China claimed the bronze medal with 1888.2 points, making it a highly competitive event.

Despite their outstanding form, all three Indian shooters finished in the top 8, but only two shooters per country were allowed into the final. Consequently, Tomar and Patil earned their spots in the final, where they engaged in a neck-and-neck battle, ultimately requiring a shoot-out to determine the third-place winner. Aishwary Pratap Singh emerged victorious in the shoot-out, securing the bronze medal. Notably, Rudransh Patil had already earned his quota for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in this event, while the other team members were yet to qualify.

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In the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Individual event, China’s Lihao Sheng earned the gold medal, achieving a World Record score of 253.3 points, surpassing the previous mark of 252.8 points set by his compatriot Yu Haonan in 2019. Korea’s Park Ha-jun secured the silver medal with 251.3 points, while Aishwary Pratap Singh clinched the bronze, following a thrilling contest.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team event, the Indian team comprising Vijayveer Singh Sandhu, Anish, and Adarsh Singh secured the bronze medal with a total of 1718 points.

Indian rifle coach Thomas Farnik expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance in the Asian Games, highlighting the addition of three more medals to the two won in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event on the opening day of the shooting competition. The coach emphasized the excellent performance of the shooters over the past year and a half and acknowledged the role of luck in securing individual medals, particularly in the intense final rounds of competition.