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It was a glorious day for Indian shooting as the country's shooters demonstrated their authority as a superpower in the sport by clinching an impressive total of seven medals at the Asian Games, with two of them being golds.
The Indian contingent showcased their dominance in nearly every shooting event that unfolded on September 27.
Standout performances
The Indian skeet-50 men's team composed of Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Gurjoat Siingh Khangura, and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka claimed the bronze medal in a closely contested final.
One of the most remarkable moments of the day came in the 50m rifle 3-position team event, where the trio of exceptionally talented shooters—Sift Kaur Samra, Ashi Chouksey, and Manini Kaushik won the silver.
Sift Kaur broke the Asian Games record in this category as well during the qualification round. The team’s combined score of 1764 propelled them to a well-deserved second place, only behind the Chinese team. South Korea managed to secure the bronze.
In the 25m Pistol Team Women event, the Indian shooters displayed exceptional precision, clinching the gold. The team consisted of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Rhythm Sangwan, who scored an impressive 1759 points, leaving China three points behind in second place. The Republic of Korea claimed the third spot on the podium.
With three out of the four teams securing medals today and the women’s skeet team finishing a close fourth, Indian shooting looks to be in good hands with a very systemic ecosystem being formed in terms of training, sponsorship and the grooming of the shooters.
Several shooters who showcased incredible performances on day 4 of the Asian Games are part of the TOPS scheme, including Sift Kaur Samra, Esha Singh and 3-time Asian Games medalist Ashi Chouksey, and with schemes like this in place along with the additional support the government gives on top of these schemes, the country is bound to see the results it witnessed on this historic day.
Individual Events
The 50m rifle 3-position individual event saw not one but two Indian shooters secure medals. Ashi Chouksey earned a well-deserved bronze, making it her third medal at this edition of the Asian Games. Meanwhile, Sift Kaur Samra clinched the gold and, in the process, shattered the world record, Asian record, and Asian Games record with an extraordinary score of 469.6.
Esha Singh continued to shine, winning her second medal of the day in the 25m Pistol Women's Final. Her remarkable score of 34 earned her the silver medal, while China's Rui Liu took gold and broke the games record with an impressive score of 38.
The final shooting event of the day saw Anant Jeet Singh Naruka win silver. He narrowly missed out on the gold medal by 2 points in the Men's Skeet event. Kuwait’s Abdullah Alrashidi claimed the gold with a performance that matched the world record. Naruka's silver marked his second medal of the day.
Although India narrowly missed out on medals in the Women's Team Skeet event, where the team finished fourth, and in the 25m Pistol Women's Final, where Manu Bhaker finished fifth, the overall performance of Indian shooters has been nothing short of outstanding.
As of September 27, Indian shooters have contributed a remarkable 12 out of India's total of 24 medals at the Asian Games. Four of the shooters have even secured two or more medals individually.
This exceptional achievement by the Indian shooting contingent has created a very positive atmosphere in the Indian camp, and the nation is very optimistic about the performance of the Indian athletes, the shooters in particular, in the coming days of the Asian games.
