Indian Pistol Shooters Drop All Four Previous Asian Games Titles

Indian shooters failed to protect any of their four 10m air pistol medals from the 2023 Asian Games at the ongoing 2026 event. The men's squad missed the medal rounds in both individual and team competitions entirely. Manu Bhaker stood as the sole female finalist, taking fifth place. As a result, India lost the women's individual gold and silver, the men's team gold, and the women's team silver, while also dropping out of the team podium spots in both categories. Pierre Beauchamp, the high performance director for Indian shooting, refused to comment on the outcome when spoken to by PTI, stating he would only speak after India finishes its events at the Games. More competitions like the 50m 3P and sports pistol are yet to happen, meaning the final campaign tally is still open, but dropping four medals in finished disciplines remains a tough outcome to justify. At the 2023 Games, India claimed its first shooting gold on day two through the men's 10m air rifle team. This time, the shooting team has not secured a single gold medal yet, forcing the federation to question the risk of sending fresh faces to a major tournament. For the men's pistol line-up, the National Rifle Association of India selected newcomers Aakash Bhardwaj, Kedarling Uchaganve, and Kamaljeet, leaving out Olympic medallist Sarabjot Singh and World Champion Samrat Rana. The selection followed a trial format used successfully for the 2024 Olympics, where India secured three medals. However, trial scores do not always match high-pressure situations. Kamaljeet usually competes in 50m pistol, with his ISSF profile showing just one prior 10m air pistol start at the Hangzhou World Cup this year, and his two teammates share similarly brief major event histories. In contrast, the women's squad featured seasoned athletes who missed expectations. Esha Singh, a two-time 2023 Asian Games winner and Olympian, along with Suruchi Singh Phogat, who claimed three straight ISSF World Cup golds last year, both stumbled during the qualification rounds. Indian pistol coach Ronak Pandit compared Suruchi's performance to cricket, noting that even players who score centuries can get out on a duck. He added that she worked hard and tried her best, but sport leaves zero margin for error, and the coaching staff will review the setbacks closely since they had prepared for every scenario. At the last Asian Games, India collected 22 medals, including seven golds. Upcoming events in 50m 3P and 25m pistol still feature veteran competitors like Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Ashi Chouksey, and Rahi Sarnobat.