Manu Bhaker Misses Podium, Indian Juniors Excel at Asian Shooting Championship

Shymkent (Kazakhstan), Aug 25 (PTI) - Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on a podium finish, securing fourth place in the women's 25m pistol event during the Asian Shooting Championship. Meanwhile, Indian shooters displayed prowess in the junior category, sweeping all medals.

In a competitive final featuring eight women, Bhaker's colleague Esha Singh concluded in sixth position with 18 points. Bhaker managed a commendable 25 points but fell short of bronze, which was claimed by Vietnam's Thu Vinh Trinh with 29 points.

India shone brightly in the junior women's 25m pistol final. Payal Khatri led the charge, capturing gold with a remarkable 36 points. Naamya Kapoor followed with silver at 30 points, while Tejaswani secured bronze by scoring 27 points.

The trio also clinched team silver with a cumulative score of 1700, trailing behind Korea and outperforming hosts Kazakhstan.

In the qualifiers, Naamya and Tejaswini impressively ranked first and second, respectively. Payal, securing her spot from sixth, delivered a stellar performance in the finals.

Earlier, the Chinese shooters dominated the senior women's category. Yueyue Zhang and Jiaruixuan Xiao claimed gold and silver, respectively, following a thrilling 4-3 shoot-off, both tied initially at 39 points.

The Indian team comprised of Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Simranpreet Kaur Brar secured the team bronze in the senior category, finishing with a robust score of 1749, just behind powerhouses China and South Korea.

Esha Singh showcased impressive form all through, topping the women's 25m pistol qualifiers ahead of Bhaker and the Chinese counterparts Xiao and Zhang.

Bhaker, who earlier added two bronze medals from the women's 10m air pistol individual and team categories to her accolades, ended the 25m pistol qualification round in fourth place post the precision stage, with Esha claiming the second position.