NEW DELHI: India’s shooting campaign at the Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan witnessed both triumph and heartbreak on Thursday, as ace shooter Manu Bhaker wrapped up her tournament with three bronze medals, while veteran Gurpreet Singh clinched double gold in style.
The 37-year-old Gurpreet emerged as the star of the day, topping the men’s 25m standard pistol event with a score of 572, including 18 inner tens, to edge out compatriot Amanpreet Singh, who also scored 572 but fell behind with 11 inner tens. China’s Su Lianbofan settled for bronze with 570 (15x), ensuring an Indian-dominated podium.
Adding to the glory, Gurpreet, Amanpreet, and Harsh Gupta combined forces in the team event to bag gold with 1,709 points. South Korea (1,704) secured silver, while Vietnam (1,677) finished with bronze.
Meanwhile, India narrowly missed a podium finish in the men’s 50m rifle prone team event. The trio of Parikshit Singh Brar, Samarvir Singh, and Goldi Gurjar finished fourth with 1839.6 points, just behind Kazakhstan’s 1841.2. South Korea topped the charts with 1854.5 points, followed by China with 1852.9. Individually, Brar was India’s best performer, finishing seventh with 617.1 points.
Manu Bhaker, a double Olympic medalist, signed off her campaign with three bronze medals, including one in the women’s 10m air pistol, underlining her consistency on the continental stage.
With these results, India’s medal tally at the championship has climbed to 26 — 11 gold, 7 silver, and 8 bronze — in the senior category. The 35-member senior squad has been competing across 15 events, while as many as 129 Indian shooters are also in action in junior categories.
The championship will draw to a close on Friday.
