Indian Shooters Miss Medals at Asian Games 2023
Performance Overview of Indian Shooters
File image of Indian Riffle Shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar
(Photo: @NightWatchMad/X)
Nagoya, Sep 25: Indian rifle shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Niraj Kumar fell short of medal positions in the Men's 50m 3 position event, finishing fifth and eighth respectively at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Friday.
Aishwary secured fifth place with a score of 327.6, while Niraj ended up in eighth with 299.0. The event saw China dominate, with Yukun Liu taking gold with a record-breaking score of 360.5, followed closely by Zhang Changhong who earned silver with 360.2. Islam Satpayev claimed the bronze with a score of 348.3.
During the competition, Aishwary maintained a competitive edge early on, sitting in sixth after the prone series, before advancing to fifth with a score of 205.3 after the second kneeling series, ultimately finishing fifth overall. Niraj faced a tougher challenge and concluded the event in last place among the eight finalists with a score of 299.
Aishwary had previously been a standout performer for India at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he brought home four medals, including gold in both the men’s 10m air rifle and the 50m rifle 3 positions team events, along with individual bronze in the 10m air rifle and silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions.
Earlier in the competition, Aishwary, Niraj, and Rudrankksh secured a silver medal in the Men's 50M Rifle 3 Positions team final, achieving a combined score of 1762-94x, while China clinched gold with 1766-95x and South Korea took home bronze with 1751-87x.
In the 10m air pistol mixed team event, Suruchi and Kamaljeet delivered a record-setting performance, winning the gold medal with an Asian record score of 484.6 in the final.
This marked India's first gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games, surpassing the silver medal won by Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS at Hangzhou 2023.
Suruchi and Kamaljeet had previously topped the qualification round with a score of 587-29x, equaling the Asian record and establishing a new Asian Games qualification record.
Currently, India's total medal tally in shooting stands at 10, comprising one gold, five silver, and four bronze medals. Overall, India has secured 19 medals, including two gold and eight silver, with no bronze medals yet.