Indian duo set Asian record of 484.6 in 10m air pistol mixed team final; Aishwary, Niraj and Rudrankksh add men’s 50m rifle 3P silver
Nagoya, Sept 2026 : Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet delivered India’s first shooting gold medal at the Asian Games 2026, winning the 10m air pistol mixed team title with an Asian-record score of 484.6 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery on Friday.
The Indian pair dominated the final from the outset, finishing ahead of the Republic of Korea, who claimed silver with 478.0 points. The Islamic Republic of Iran took the bronze medal with 415.8.
The gold was particularly significant as it was India’s first-ever Asian Games title in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. At the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS had won silver in the discipline.
For Suruchi, competing at her maiden Asian Games, the victory was an emotional milestone.
“It’s wonderful that India’s first gold medal in shooting has come from me,” she said after the final.
Suruchi added that the Indian shooting contingent had been determined to break its run of silver and bronze medals and finally claim gold.
The Indian duo had already announced their intentions in qualification, topping the standings with 587-29x. Their score equalled the Asian record and established a new Asian Games qualification record, surpassing the previous mark of 577 set by Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS in Hangzhou.
The 587 also matched the Asian record set by Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in Osijek.
Suruchi and Kamaljeet carried their qualification form into the final. They opened with a strong 103.0, immediately establishing a 4.9-point advantage over South Korea. The Indian pair maintained their composure during the elimination stages and continued to extend their lead.
By the conclusion, they had won by 6.6 points, turning around what had been a challenging start for India in the 10m air pistol events.
Kamaljeet had finished ninth in the men’s individual qualification and narrowly missed out on a place in the final, while Suruchi finished 26th in the women’s individual event. India’s men’s and women’s 10m air pistol teams had also ended their campaigns in fourth place.
The mixed team victory therefore provided India with its breakthrough gold in shooting and marked a strong response from the pistol squad.
India added another shooting medal on Friday when Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil combined for 1,762 points to win silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
China took gold with 1,766 points, while South Korea secured bronze.
Aishwary led India with 589-34x to finish third in qualification. Niraj was fourth with 588-34x, while Rudrankksh registered 585-26x for ninth place. Aishwary and Niraj advanced to the eight-man individual medal round but could not add another medal. Aishwary finished fifth with 327.6 points, while Niraj was eighth with 299.0.
Aishwary had enjoyed a highly successful campaign at the Hangzhou Asian Games, winning four medals. He claimed gold in the men’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions team events, besides securing individual bronze in the 10m air rifle and silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Singh Deo welcomed the mixed team gold and said Indian pistol shooters had responded strongly after disappointing results in the individual and team competitions.
“Great day for Indian shooting; we finally got the elusive gold after a bit of a disappointment,” Kalikesh said. He praised Suruchi and Kamaljeet for producing an Asian-record performance and added that India still had several shooting events remaining.
India had earlier missed out on medals in the men’s and women’s 10m air pistol team events. In the men’s individual competition, Kamaljeet, Kedarling Balakrishna and Aakash Bhardwaj failed to qualify for the final.
The women’s 10m air pistol team of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh also endured a narrow setback, missing out on bronze against Vietnam. Manu later finished fifth in the individual final.
Kalikesh said the team would review the results and work with athletes, coaches and performance staff to improve medal conversion, particularly in gold-medal opportunities.
Attention now turns to the 25m pistol event, where Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh will join 2018 Asian Games champion Rahi Sarnobat. Kalikesh expressed confidence in the experienced trio as India looks to add to its shooting medal tally in Nagoya.
