Indian Shooters Achieve Record Medal Haul at Asian Games

India have secured their 18th shooting medal at this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, marking their best-ever performance in shooting throughout the tournament's history. India's previous record, set in Doha 2006, featured 14 medals, including three golds. However, this record has now been surpassed, with India claiming an impressive six gold medals, seven silver and five bronze and a total of 18 medals in the shooting events.

It all started on the first day itself when the trio of Mehuli Ghosh, Ramita Jindal, and Ashi Chouksey won India’s first silver medal of the tournament in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Team. Ramita Jindal followed it up with an individual bronze in the same category.

It was on Day 2 when the Indian shooters struck gold with the team of Divyansh Singh Panwar, Rudrankssh Patil and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar won gold in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team. Aishwary Tomar followed it with an individual bronze in the 10m air rifle while Adarsh Singh, Vijayveer Sidhu, and Anish Bhanwala added a fifth medal, a bronze in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team.

It was on 27 September when India showed its true dominance in the sport by winning seven medals in a day taking its total shooting tally to 12. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Rhythm Sangwan added a gold in the Women’s 25m pistol team event while Sift Kaur Samra set a world record on her way to winning the Women’s 50m Rifle three positions. She later teamed up with Ashi Chouksey and Manini Kaushik and brought home silver Women's 50m rifle three positions team.

Esha Singh won her second medal of the tournament, a silver in the Women’s 25m pistol. Anantjeet Singh Naruka who also won a historic silver in the individual men’s skeet teamed up with Gurjoat Singh Khangura and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa to win bronze in the men’s skeet team. Ashi Chouksey went on to add a further bronze to the tally with a third-place finish in the women's 50m rifle three positions.

Arjun Singh Cheema, Shiva Narwal, and Sarbjot Singh will officially make it India’s best-ever Asian Games in shooting when they won the gold Men's 10m air pistol team. On 29 September, the overall best haul was also overtaken when a further five medals were added to take the shooting haul to 18.

Palak Gulia and Esha Singh achieved a top two finish in the Women’s 10m air pistol to add gold and silver respectively. They both alongside Divya Subbaraju took home silver in the Women’s 10m air pistol team event. Aishwary Tomar won his third and fourth medals of the tournament, a silver in Men's 50m rifle three positions and a gold in Men's 50m rifle three positions team alongside Akhil Sheoran and Swapnil Kusale.

With this, India’s total haul reached a record 18 shooting medals which include six gold. This is the best performance by the Indian shooters ever at the Asiad. This medal tally can still be improved as the trap shooting events have not yet been contested.