India's Dominant Finish at Asian Shooting Championship

Shymkent: At the 16th Asian Shooting Championship held on Thursday, India showcased a stellar performance in the 25m Standard Pistol event, achieving an impressive 1-2 finish. Leading the charge was Gurpreet Singh, who claimed the gold medal, while Amanpreet Singh followed with a silver. This remarkable achievement brought India's total medal count to 82, comprising 44 gold, 20 silver, and 18 bronze medals.

In addition to his individual success, Gurpreet joined forces with Amanpreet and Harsh Gupta to secure the team gold with a collective score of 1709. Further gold was attained by the 50m Rifle Prone Junior team and the 25m Standard Pistol Junior team, adding to India's exceptional performance.

At 37 years of age, Gurpreet clinched his first-ever international gold medal, surpassing the bronze he earned at the Asian Championships in Tehran 12 years ago. Both Gurpreet and Amanpreet achieved identical scores of 572, yet Gurpreet's 18 inner circle shots outperformed Amanpreet's 11, earning him the top podium position. The bronze in this category was claimed by China's Su Lianbofan, a 25m Rapid Fire Pistol gold medalist.

In the junior division, the 25m Standard Pistol event saw Suraj Sharma winning silver with a score of 571-12x, while Tanishq Naidu captured bronze with a score of 568-11x. Mukesh Nelavalli then partnered with Sharma and Naidu to win the team gold, achieving a combined score of 1703-39x.

Although the Indian contingent couldn't secure individual medals in the 50m Rifle Prone event, both in senior and junior categories, the juniors nevertheless bagged team gold. This was accomplished by the trio of Sami Ulah Khan, Adriyan Karmakar, and Kushagra Singh Rajawat, who achieved a cumulative score of 1844.3.