New Delhi: World Championship silver medallist Anish Bhanwala secured a bronze medal in the men’s 25 metre rapid fire pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championship, adding another podium finish to his growing list of achievements. The medal marked his third at the continental meet, even as Kazakhstan enjoyed a dominant outing with four gold medals on the eighth day of competition.
India continued to lead the overall standings with an impressive haul of 41 gold, 19 silver and 15 bronze medals, with two days of events still remaining.
Bhanwala and Adarsh Singh qualified for the rapid fire pistol final after finishing seventh and eighth with scores of 574 and 573 respectively. Kazakhstan’s Nikita Chiryukin topped the qualification round with 582, leading a strong contingent from his country into the final.
In the eight series final, Bhanwala began confidently and stayed in contention through the early stages. After six series, he was tied for the lead with Japan’s Dai Yoshioka and Chiryukin, each on 21 hits. However, a comparatively slower seventh series saw him slip behind, eventually finishing with 23 hits to claim bronze. Yoshioka produced a flawless finish to secure gold with a record score of 31, while Chiryukin took silver with 28.
India also enjoyed success in other events. Adriyan Karmakar captured gold in the junior men’s 50 metre rifle prone competition with a score of 621.7. The junior men’s 25 metre rapid fire pistol team, comprising Suraj Sharma, Mukesh Nelavalli and Sahil Choudhary, won gold in the team event.
Additional medals came in the rifle prone events, contributing to India’s commanding position at the top of the championship standings as the competition heads into its final phase.
