In a spectacular display of marksmanship, Indian shooters stole the limelight at the Asian Games 2023, securing top honors in various team events. The day commenced with a resounding victory in the women’s 25m pistol team event. The trio of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Rhythm Sangwan clinched the gold, outperforming their Chinese counterparts by a remarkable three-point margin. The Indian shooters collectively amassed a score of 1759, following meticulous precision and rapid rounds. China earned the silver medal with a combined score of 1756, while South Korea settled for bronze, tallying 1742 points.
Manu Bhaker’s stellar performance in the qualification round, where she topped the charts, was a significant highlight. Her cumulative score after the precision and rapid stages stood at an impressive 590, with 28x inner 10s. Esha Singh also exhibited her prowess, securing the fifth position with a score of 586 (17x). Both Manu and Esha progressed to the individual round finals, a testament to their exceptional shooting skills. The team rankings are determined based on the aggregate scores of individual rounds. Regrettably, Rhythm Sangwan narrowly missed an individual qualification, finishing in the 7th position, as per the regulation that allows only two shooters from one team to advance.
The 25m pistol event comprises precision and rapid stages, with precision rounds occurring on the preceding day. In this regard, Team India maintained an unbroken streak at the top of the leaderboards throughout the competition.
In another commendable achievement, a trio of Indian shooters, Ashi Chouksey, Manini Koushik, and Sift Kaur Samra, secured the silver medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 position team event. Their combined score of 1764 points during the qualification phase was sufficient to secure the second position. China emerged victorious with an aggregate score of 1773, while South Korea claimed the bronze with 1756 points. Notably, Sift and Chouksey also clinched individual gold and bronze medals, respectively, in this event.
Furthermore, the men’s skeet team event witnessed the Indian trio of Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Gurjoat Khangura, and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka earning the bronze medal with a collective score of 355. China emerged as gold medalists, while Qatar secured the silver.
However, the Indian women’s team in the shotgun skeet event faced disappointment, finishing in the fourth position, trailing behind Kazakhstan, China, and Thailand.
These remarkable achievements bolster India’s medal tally at the Asian Games 2023, bringing their total count to 16 medals, including four golds. The other gold medals were secured in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting team event, women’s cricket, and the dressage team event in equestrian.
