India’s stellar performance in shooting continued on Day 6 of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, with shooters clinching two gold and one silver medal. The trio of Swapnil Kusale, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Akhil Sheoran set a world record in the men’s 50m rifle 3 position team event with a cumulative score of 1769, earning them the gold medal. Additionally, 17-year-old Palak Gulia secured India’s third individual gold in shooting in the women’s 10m air pistol, while Esha Singh claimed silver. This remarkable feat followed their earlier silver in the team event.
World Record Performance
Swapnil, Aishwary, and Akhil dominated the men’s 50m rifle 3 position team event with an extraordinary world record cumulative score of 1769. China secured the silver with 1763 points, and Korea took home the bronze with 1748. India’s exceptional team performance ensured they secured the gold medal even before their third shooter completed the final round.
Aishwary (591) and Swapnil (591) not only clinched the top two spots in the team event but also set new records in the qualification round. Swapnil claimed the top position due to a higher number of inner 10s. However, Akhil narrowly missed qualification for the individual finals, finishing fifth, as only the top two from each team within the top 8 are allowed to advance. Akhil accumulated a total score of 587. The individual event final is scheduled for 11:30 am IST.
Women’s Rifle 3 Position Team Event
In the women’s rifle 3 position team event, the trio of Esha (579), Palak (577), and Divya TS (575) secured a silver medal with a combined score of 1731 points. China set an Asian Games record with 1736 points to claim gold, while Chinese Taipei secured the bronze with 1723 points. Unfortunately, Divya missed the cut, finishing 10th in the qualification round. However, Esha and Palak both advanced to the eight-shooter final, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, after the qualification round.
During the finals, both Esha and Palak delivered exceptional performances. Palak set a Games record by scoring 242.1, securing the gold, while Esha closely followed with 239.7, earning the silver. India’s shooters have now accumulated a total of 17 medals at the Asian Games shooting range, including six gold medals. The medal count is expected to rise further as more individual events are scheduled later in the day.
