Indian Athletes Shine at Asian Games: Two Gold Medals Won in One Day

Despite expectations surrounding shooting at the Asian Games in Nagoya, five days have passed, and the Indian team has yet to secure a single gold medal. Although four silver and four bronze awards were obtained, there are more questions than answers in the discipline where India was expected to achieve the highest number of accolades.

On Thursday, the men's 10-meter air pistol team also disappointed. None of the eight shooters—Kamaljit, Akash Bhardwaj, and Kedaring Uchaganve—managed to qualify for the final. Kamaljit missed the final by only one point, scoring 580 points and finishing in ninth place. Bhardwaj secured 11th place with 579 points, while Kedaring placed 35th with 568 points.

The team's total score was 1727 points, which allowed India to rank fourth; however, this was three points short of a bronze medal. Japan surpassed India with a score of 1730 and won the bronze medal.

Thus, the problem lies not only in failing to reach the final but also in the minuscule difference that deprived India of the team medal.

Nevertheless, on Thursday, India won a bronze medal in the mixed team shooting tournament. The pair Parinadj Dhaliwal and Anandjit Singh Naruka took third place. Their scores across six series were 7, 14, 21, 29, 36, and 44 points, respectively.

In the final, the score between India and South Korea was tied at 44-44. Since the score was identical, the decision for gold or silver could not be made solely based on the final results. The qualification round score was used as the deciding factor. As India's qualification score was lower than South Korea's, Korea was ranked higher despite the tie in the final, and India received bronze.

A similar situation occurred the day before.

The result of the men's 10-meter air pistol tournament is particularly painful because just one day earlier, the women's Indian team, consisting of stars, also failed to make the final of the same event. The team included two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhakar, world champion Isha Singh, and Suruchi Singh. Despite high expectations, India did not qualify for the final.

These two days of setbacks pose a serious question to Indian shooting: where exactly is the lapse occurring?

At the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, India won a record 22 medals in shooting, including seven golds. There was hope to repeat this success in Nagoya, but after five days, the picture looks different.

Kamaljit narrowly missed the final, and Kedaring's story is different.

For Kamaljit, the final was very close, indicating the depth of the disappointment. His score of 580 points led to ninth place, whereas the final threshold was 581 points. Bhardwaj was also close. However, Kedaring's problems were deeper. The shooter from the Indian army showed a loss of rhythm from the beginning, constantly losing points. When the score improvement stalled, he attempted to adjust the pistol settings, seemingly trying to regain lost momentum.

Concern was visible on the faces of Indian coaches in the spectator stands. Pierre Bouchon, a high-ranking director of sports achievements for India, also closely monitored the situation, but changing the settings did not help Kedaring. His shots contained more nines, and fewer high scores were achieved.

Then came the moment that changed the team medal equation. Coaches from the Japanese staff closely watched one of the Indian shooters during the last round. They observed his performance because a drop in India's points could open the path to bronze for Japan. Under pressure, Kedaring made another mistake. One shot in the last 10 shots scored an eight, dashing India's last hopes. Joy reigned in the Japanese camp, while for the Indian team, it became yet another disappointing finale. Japan finished third with a score of 1730, and India stopped at 1727.

China won gold with a score of 1743. Indonesia also scored 1743, but China won based on the 'inner-10' metric. Chinese shooters accumulated 70 'inner-10s', while Indonesia had 57.

Statistics also reflect India's history. In the individual qualification round, Muhammad Iqbal Raja Probowo from Indonesia posted an impressive score of 589 points, beating the second-placed Chinese shooter by six points. For India, the picture was reversed: Kamaljit stopped just short of the final, Bhardwaj also failed to qualify, and Kedaring could not lead the team to bronze due to declining scores.

It is precisely here in sports like shooting that simply looking at the medal table is insufficient. A one-point difference separates qualifying for the final from not qualifying, and a three-point difference separates a medal from fourth place. The question arises: does India's preparation, strategy against pressure, and in-competition execution control system need any improvements?

Currently, Pierre Bouchon, the high-ranking director of sports achievements for India, has declined to provide an immediate analysis of the situation. In Indian shooting, data, video recordings, physiological data, sports science, and mental control are analyzed.

India secured two bronze medals in the shooting discipline at the Asian Games. The women's and men's shooting teams finished third in the team standings. A special achievement was the victory of the trio Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal, who brought India its first medal in the women's team shooting tournament at the Asian Games.

After a three-day qualification round, the Indian women's team scored a total of 331 points. China won gold with 357 points, Kazakhstan took silver with 336 points, while India managed to settle for bronze.

Raiza and Parinaaz scored 111 out of 125 points, and Maheshwari scored 109 points. Raiza and Parinaaz now have a chance to win a medal in the individual standings, as both qualified for the finals of the individual women's shooting event. Raiza placed eighth, and Parinaaz placed ninth.

Maheshwari Chauhan

Maheshwari Chauhan was born on July 4, 1996, in Siana, Rajasthan. She is an Indian sport shooter specializing in women's shooting events. She started shooting at the age of 15, inspired by her family's passion for sports, especially her grandfather, whose dedication motivated her to competitive shooting. At 17, Maheshwari first represented India internationally at the ISSF Junior Championships. Currently, she trains in Kelwa, Rajsamand, under Andrea Benelli (Italy), and at Dr. Karn Singh's shooting range in New Delhi, representing Rajasthan at the National Championship.

Maheshwari is considered one of the most capable female sport shooters in India and has played a leading role in this discipline. In 2017, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Women's Shooting Championship, winning both a silver and a bronze medal at the Asian Shotgun Championship in Kazakhstan. Later, she won a silver medal at the ISSF Olympic Games qualification stage, setting a national record of 121/125 and securing a spot for India at the Olympics. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she was part of India's first women's shooting team, achieving an impressive fourth place, narrowly missing a medal. Maheshwari, who has set eight national records in women's shooting, continues to work towards the long-term goal of winning her first Olympic medal and World Championship title in shooting, while inspiring the next generation of Indian shotgun shooters.

Raiza Dhillon

Raiza Dhillon (born April 20, 2004) is an Indian sport shooter from Chandigarh, specializing in women's shooting events. At the age of 16, she began shooting under the influence of her father, Ravidjit Singh Dhillon, whose passion for sports prompted her to develop this field competitively. Raiza debuted internationally for India at the ISSF Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, in 2021. She trains at the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in New Delhi under the guidance of renowned Italian coach Riccardo Filippelli and represents Haryana at the National Championship.

Due to her outstanding performances on the international stage, Raiza has established herself as one of the leading female sport shooters in India. She made history by securing the first Olympic quota for women's shooting for India at the 2024 Asian Shotgun Championship in Paris. Among her achievements are a silver medal at the ISSF Junior Championships in Kuwait and a silver medal at the ISSF Junior Championships in Suhl and New Delhi, Germany. In the country, she set a national record of 122/125 in both senior and junior categories, and also won a gold medal in the senior women's shooting at the 2025 National Championship. Aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Raiza remains one of the brightest athletes in shotgun shooting.

Raiza's Achievements:

• Gold: Junior Shooting Team, ISSF Junior Championships in Lima, Peru (2021)
• Silver: Junior Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships in Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
• Gold: Mixed Shooting Team, Asian Championship, Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
• Silver: Junior Shooting, Asian Championship, Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
• Silver: Women's Shooting, Asian Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait (2024)
• Bronze: Mixed Shooting Team, Asian Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait (2024)
• Silver: Junior Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships, New Delhi, India (2025)
• Silver: Junior Women's Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships, Suhl, Germany (2025)

Parinaaz Dhaliwal

Parinaaz Dhaliwal was born on November 30, 2001, in Patiala. She specializes in women's shooting, team shooting, and mixed team shooting. She started shooting in 2015 at the Nu Moti Bagh club, initially trying trap before switching to skeet.

Indian shooters demonstrated outstanding performance at the Asian Games 2026, securing their first medal for the country on September 20 (Sunday). India won the silver medal in the team event of 10-meter air rifle shooting.

The Indian team consisted of Ilavelil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa Kochulamkal Vinod. These three shooters delivered excellent results, earning India the silver award.

At the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery range, the Indian team scored a total of 1898.0 points after six shooting series, placing second.

The gold medal was won by the Chinese team, comprising Jifei Wang, Jiayu Han, and Yuchen Du, who scored a record 1904.2 points. The bronze medal went to the Japanese team, including Hinata Taichi, Misaki Nobatu, and Shiori Hirata, with a score of 1897.1 points.

Indian shooters Ilavelil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar also qualified for the individual final in 10-meter air rifle shooting. In the qualification round, Sonam Maskar placed third with 634.1 points, and Ilavelil placed seventh with 633.5 points. The leader in the qualification was Jifei Wang from China with a score of 636.8 points.

In the 10-meter air rifle team event, the Indian squad showed strong play from the beginning. The team successfully reached the podium, demonstrating accurate shooting under pressure. Thanks to the combined efforts of the three athletes, including Ilavelil Valarivan, who has extensive international experience, as well as Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod, India managed to win silver in this discipline.

Shooting remains one of the main sports bringing medals to India at the Asian Games. This success of the Indian shooters in Nagoya is important for the country's overall medal tally. The results of the Indian shooters at the Asian Games 2026 raise expectations for future medals.