Heartbreak struck the Indian shooting contingent at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday as the men’s 10m air pistol squad failed to secure a podium finish, marking a challenging conclusion to their campaign in the discipline. In a day defined by narrow margins and high-pressure competition, the Indian trio of Kamaljeet, Aakash Bharadwaj, and Kedarling Uchaganve saw their medal aspirations vanish after a grueling qualification round that left them just outside the elite reach of the top-eight finalists.
A Close Call in the Team Event
The team event underscored the razor-thin margins that often decide international shooting championships. The Indian trio combined for a total of 1727 points, a respectable performance that unfortunately fell 13 points short of the bronze medal benchmark set by Japan, who tallied 1730.
At the summit of the leaderboard, the competition was fierce. China emerged triumphant, clinching the gold medal with a total of 1743 points. Indonesia matched the Chinese total of 1743 points but was relegated to the silver medal position based on a tie-breaking count of inner-10s—a testament to the intense technical precision required at the Asian Games level. For India, the fourth-place finish serves as a stinging reminder of the volatility inherent in air pistol shooting, where a few wayward shots can be the difference between standing on the podium and returning home empty-handed.
Individual Aspirations Stalled
Individual qualification proved to be an equally uphill battle for the Indian marksmen. Kamaljeet stood out as the top performer for his country, delivering a gritty display to finish ninth with a score of 580-18x. In a field where only the top eight shooters advance to the final showdown, missing the cut by a single position is a bitter pill to swallow.
Aakash Bharadwaj followed closely in 11th place with 579-20x, showing consistent composure throughout the qualification stage, while Kedarling Uchaganve struggled to find his rhythm, finishing 35th with 568-15x. With all three shooters falling outside the qualification bracket, India’s presence in the individual final was non-existent, effectively closing the book on the men’s 10m air pistol hopes.
A Difficult Week for the Pistol Squad
The disappointment in the men’s event mirrors a similar struggle on the women’s side, which concluded just 24 hours earlier. The women’s 10m air pistol team—comprised of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Suruchi Singh Phogat—also finished in a frustrating fourth place.
While the Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker managed to secure a spot in the women’s individual final after qualifying third, she was unable to replicate that form when it mattered most, ultimately finishing fifth. With teammates Esha Singh and Suruchi Singh Phogat failing to advance past the qualification stage, the past two days have resulted in a rare total blank for India in the 10m air pistol competitions, both team and individual.
Reflecting on a Broader Campaign
The current drought in the pistol events comes as a surprise given the momentum Indian shooters have built in the Aichi-Nagoya games. Despite these recent setbacks, India’s overall shooting campaign has been far from a failure, with the nation currently boasting a haul of seven medals—four silver and three bronze.
The campaign kicked off with strong performances in the air rifle categories, where Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa Vinod set the tone with a team silver. Elavenil added a brilliant individual silver to her name, complemented by the men’s 10m air rifle team, which also secured silver. Individual accolades continued to roll in as Rudrankksh Patil claimed silver and Himanshu Dhillon took bronze in the men’s individual rifle event.
Furthermore, the skeet shooters have bolstered the overall tally, with both the women’s team (Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal, and Maheshwari Chauhan) and the men’s team (Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill) securing bronze medals on Wednesday.
Looking Ahead
As the dust settles on the 10m air pistol events, the focus for the Indian contingent shifts to analyzing these results against their historic performance at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where India secured a dominant 22 medals—including seven gold.
While the current squad has displayed immense talent and resilience, the lack of hardware in the 10m pistol discipline will likely serve as a focal point for coaching staff and athletes in the coming weeks. For a nation that has historically viewed itself as a powerhouse in global shooting, the path forward involves dissecting these narrow misses and regaining the consistency needed to turn fourth-place finishes into gold-medal performances.
As the Asian Games continue, the shooting squad will look to lean on the established successes of the rifle and skeet shooters to carry the momentum forward, hoping that the “blank” in the 10m pistol is merely a temporary deviation from an otherwise promising campaign.
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