Indian shooting at Asian Games 2023: Preview - Battle-hardened shooters eye redemption

India’s 33-member team is set to compete in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, with the aim of challenging China’s longstanding dominance in shooting.

Top gun: Mehuli Ghosh, the national record holder and India No. 1 in women’s 10m air rifle, is one of the country’s leading medal contenders in shooting. | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey

Ask any elite athlete or a prominent official of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the organisation governing the sport of shooting in the country, and they will agree that the disappointments of the Tokyo 2021 event still disturb their peace of mind. The subsequent period of recovery has been marked not only by controversies but also by the decline in the performance of once highly regarded shooters. Additionally, the sport’s exclusion from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, an event where Indian shooting has traditionally excelled, has further compounded the challenges.

Meanwhile, persistent and probing inquiries from the media have only served as unsettling reminders of past events.

India’s 33-member team is set to compete in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, with the aim of challenging China’s longstanding dominance in shooting. India’s Southeast Asian neighbour has monopolised the shooting medal tally, topping every edition since 1978.

Former world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil is among India’s top medal hopefuls and recognises the challenge ahead at this continental mega-event. He says, “They (the Chinese) are very secretive about what they do and do not do. Sometimes, they will just show us things they want us to see. They have a core Olympic team, but they send different teams to different countries.”

READ: Asian Games 2023: Full list of Indian athletes who have qualified

In the 2018 edition of the Games, China dominated with eight gold, five silver, and two bronze medals, while India secured the third spot with two gold, four silver, and three bronze medals. South Korea finished second. In this year’s event, a total of 99 medals are at stake.

Mehuli Ghosh, the national record holder and India No. 1 in women’s 10m air rifle, will be gunning for three of these in the individual, team and mixed team events.

Her recent achievement of securing a Paris 2024 quota with a third-place finish at the World Championships has boosted her confidence.

“There are not many days left for the Asiad. So, I am not changing anything major in my training right now,” she says a day before leaving for Pune to get her brain mapped at the Gun for Glory facility. Brain mapping assists athletes in evaluating their strengths and, crucially, their weaknesses by observing how the mind responds under pressure during live match simulations.

While Ghosh excels under pressure, Rhythm Sangwan has faced elimination-stage challenges. In 2022, she missed her last five shots, missing the Worlds medal match in the 25m sports pistol event. In Baku 2023, she finished eighth with eight hits out of 20 attempts. Her sole individual ISSF medal in 2023 was a bronze in 10m air pistol at the Baku World Cup.

Esha Singh, the recent 10m air pistol mixed team world champion with Shiva Narwal, isn’t solely focused on medals at the Asiad. “If I go thinking, ‘Oh, I have to get the medal’, I’ll be putting pressure on myself, and I won’t be able to play my natural game. So, I would rather focus on the execution and work on myself and my process.

The ultimate goal will be to remain focused on the future.” Esha will feature in the individual section, while Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS will represent India in the mixed-team event.

In shotgun disciplines, Olympic quota holder Rajeshwari Kumari (Trap), Ganemat Sekhon (Skeet), and Anantjeet Singh Naruka (Skeet) are the ones to watch out for.

SQUADS

Men’s 10m air rifle: Divyansh Singh Panwar, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil

Women’s 10m air rifle: Ramita, Mehuli Ghosh, Ashi Chouksey

Men’s 50m rifle 3-position: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale, Akhil Sheoran

Women’s 50m rifle 3-position: Sift Kaur Samra, Ashi Chouksey, Manini Kaushik

Men’s 10m air pistol: Sarabjot Singh, Shiva Narwal, Arjun Singh Cheema

Women’s 10m air pistol: Divya TS, Esha Singh, Palak

Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol: Anish, Vijayveer Sidhu, Adarsh Singh

Women’s 25m sports pistol: Rhythm Sangwan, Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh

Air rifle mixed team: Divyansh Singh Panwar/Ramita

Air pistol mixed team: Sarabjot Singh/Divya TS

Men’s trap: Prithviraj Toindaman, Kynan Chenai, Zoravar Singh Sandhu

Women’s trap: Rajeshwari Kumari, Manisha Keer, Preeti Rajak

Men’s skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Gurjoat Singh Khangura, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa

Women’s skeet: Ganemat Sekhon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Darsha Rathore

Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Ganemat Sekhon

SCHEDULE

Sunday, September 24

6am-7:15am IST: Air Rifle Individual and Team Qualification - W

9:15am-9:55am IST: Air Rifle Individual Final - W

6:30am-9:30am IST: Rapid Fire Pistol Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 1) - M

Monday, September 25

6:30am-12:30pm IST: 10m Running Target Individual and Team Qualification - M

6:30am-7:45am IST: Air Rifle Individual and Team Qualification - M

9am-9:45am IST: Air Rifle Individual Final - M

6:30am-9:30am IST: Rapid Fire Pistol Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 2) - M

11:30am-12:30pm IST: Rapid Fire Pistol Individual Final - M

Tuesday, September 26

6:30am-12:30pm IST: 10m Running Target Mixed Individual and Team Qualification - M

6:30am-9:30am IST: Air Rifle Mixed Team (Qualification, Bronze Medal Matches and Gold Medal Match) - M/W

6:30am-9:30am IST: 25m Pistol Individual and Team Qualification (Precision Stage) - W

6:30am-12pm IST: Skeet-75 Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 1) - M/W

Wednesday, September 27

6:30am-8am IST: Rifle 3 Positions Individual and Team Qualification - W

9:30am-10:30am IST: Rifle 3 Positions Individual FInal - W

6:30am-9:30am IST: 25m Pistol Individual and Team Qualification Rapid Fire - W

12pm-1pm IST: 25m Pistol Individual Final - W

6:30am-10:30am IST: Skeet-50 Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 2) - M/W

10:30am IST: Women Skeet Eventual Shoot-Off

11am IST: Men Skeet Eventual Shoot-Off

12pm IST: Women Skeet Final

1pm IST: Men Skeet Final

Thursday, September 28

6:30am-12:30pm IST: 10m Running Target Individual and Team Qualification - W

6:30am-7:45am IST: Air Pistol Individual and Team Qualification - M

9am-10am IST: Air Pistol Individual Final - M

6:30am-9:30am IST: Skeet75 Mixed Team Qualification - M/W

9:30am IST: Eventual Shoot-Off - M/W

12:30pm-1:30pm IST: Skeet mixed team (Bronze and Gold Medal Matches) - M/W

Friday, September 29

6:30am-7:45am IST: Air Pistol Individual and Team Qualification - W

9am-10am IST: Air Pistol Individual FInal - W

6:30am-8am IST: Rifle 3 Positions Individual and Team Qualification - M

11:30am-12:30pm IST: Rifle 3 Positions Individual Final - M

Saturday, September 30

6:30am-9:30am IST: Air Pistol Mixed Team (Qualification, Bronze Medal Matches and Gold Medal Match) - M/W

6:30am-1pm IST: Trap-75 Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 1)

Sunday, October 1

6:30am-10:30am IST: Trap-50 Individual and Team Qualification (Stage 2)

11am IST: Women Trap Eventual Shoot-Off

11:30am IST: Men Trap Eventual Shoot-Off

12:30am IST: Women Trap Gold Medal Match

1:30am IST: Men Trap Gold Medal Match

Note: The competition schedule is subject to change in accordance with the competition procedures and broadcasting circumstances.