Archive · 23 Sep 2026
India’s Star Shooters Miss Air Pistol Medals at Asian Games
India expected its top women shooters to win medals in the 10m air pistol event.
Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh were competing for India.
Esha and Suruchi did not reach the final.
Manu reached the final but finished fifth.
South Korea’s Choo Gaeun won gold with a record score.
India later won bronze medals in both the men’s and women’s skeet events.
These medals brought India’s shooting total to seven.
The disappointing air pistol result led people to question India’s training and selection methods.
Manu also said that training difficulties and the death of her coach Jaspal Rana had affected her.
Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh failed to win a women’s 10m air pistol medal.
Bhaker reached the individual final but finished fifth, while Singh and Suruchi missed qualification.
India won bronze medals in the men’s and women’s skeet events, taking its shooting tally to seven.
India and Vietnam tied in the team event, but Vietnam won bronze on the inner-10 count.
The result renewed scrutiny of India’s selection, preparation and coaching system, while Bhaker cited training challenges and coach Jaspal Rana’s death.
- Who
- Indian shooters Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh, along with India’s men’s and women’s skeet teams.
- What
- India missed a medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event but won bronze in both skeet team events.
- When
- On Wednesday during the Asian Games.
- Where
- At the Asian Games shooting range.
- Why
- The air pistol team struggled in qualification and the final, prompting questions about preparation, coaching and selection; Bhaker also cited personal and training challenges.
System and Performance Concerns
Athlete-Specific Challenges
Why the air pistol result happened
System and Performance Concerns
The disappointing result suggests India’s preparation, coaching and selection policies need closer examination, particularly because internationally proven shooters have recently been left out of squads.
Athlete-Specific Challenges
The result may also reflect individual circumstances, including Bhaker’s training difficulties in Japan and the death of her coach Jaspal Rana.
How to assess India’s shooting campaign
System and Performance Concerns
The missed air pistol medals are especially concerning because India entered with a highly rated trio and hoped to improve on its previous Games performance.
Athlete-Specific Challenges
India still won two skeet bronze medals and reached a total of seven shooting medals, leaving opportunities for improvement in the 25m pistol event.
- Women’s 10m air pistol
- Manu Bhaker finished fifth; Esha Singh placed 15th in qualification; Suruchi Inder Singh failed to reach the final.
- Manu Bhaker’s scores
- She qualified third with 579 and scored 181.1 in the final.
- Individual gold
- South Korea’s Choo Gaeun won with 246.3, an Asian record.
- Team event
- India and Vietnam tied at 1719, but Vietnam won bronze after recording more inner-10s, 46 to India’s 44.
- Shooting medal tally
- India’s total reached seven medals: four silver and three bronze.
- Previous Asian Games
- At Hangzhou in 2023, India won gold and silver in the individual event and silver in the team event.
- Next opportunity
- Bhaker will compete in the 25m pistol event with Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat.