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Asian Games Shooting Disappointment: Why the Average Performance Despite High Gold Hopes?
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News18•25-09-2026, 15:36
Asian Games Shooting Disappointment: Why the Average Performance Despite High Gold Hopes?
- •Shooting has historically been a major medal hope for India at the Asian Games, but the performance in Nagoya has been disappointing so far.
- •India has secured only one gold medal, and with half the events concluded, the shooting performance has fallen short of expectations.
- •The 10m air pistol event was particularly disappointing, with star shooter Manu Bhaker failing to secure a medal despite reaching the final, finishing fifth.
- •Manu Bhaker faced severe trolling on social media for not winning a medal and even apologized to the host broadcaster, raising questions about sportsmanship.
- •The article emphasizes the need to review the selection process and national-level preparation and management, rather than solely blaming athletes for the current performance.
Key Questions Answered
Manu Bhaker finished in fifth place in the women's 10m air pistol individual final at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, scoring 181.1 points before being eliminated after her 18th shot.
India's pistol and high-performance coach Ronak Pandit described the performance as unpardonable and noted that scoring in the 560s and 570s is insufficient to even dream of a medal.
Manu Bhaker still has her favorite 25m sports pistol event remaining at the multi-sport competition.
