Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 23 (ANI): India’s Manu Bhaker qualified for the women’s 10m air pistol final at the Asian Games 2026 on Day 4 of the continental event after finishing third in the qualification round, while the Indian team narrowly missed out on a medal, ending fourth.
The 24-year-old Bhaker shot a total of 579-20x across six series to secure her place in the final, scheduled for 9 AM IST, according to ESPN. After opening with a 95 in her first series, she recovered with scores of 96, 96 and 98 in her final three series to finish among the top eight.
However, India’s women’s 10m air pistol team missed the podium by two inner-10 shots, finishing fourth.
Esha Singh ended her qualification campaign with 572 points and finished 16th, despite a strong finish that included a series of 97, 97 and 96. Suruchi Singh finished 26th with 568 points after scoring 93 in her final series.
Suruchi’s performance proved costly for India’s team medal hopes, while Esha will now turn her attention to the 25m sports pistol event.
Meanwhile, Indian athletes competed across several disciplines on Day 4 of the Games.
In rowing, Balraj Panwar finished third in his men’s single sculls heat and fourth overall to qualify for the final. Satnam Singh and Salman Khan finished second in their men’s doubles sculls heat and fourth overall, also advancing to the final.
In canoe sprint, Harshwardhan Shaktawat, Varinder Singh, L Naocha Singh Oinam and Arun Singh finished third in the men’s kayak four 500m heat to qualify for the final. Megha Pradeep placed fifth in the women’s canoe single 200m heats and advanced to the semifinals.
In swimming, Benedicton Beniston finished fourth in his men’s 100m butterfly heat and 13th overall, while Sajan Prakash did not start. Both missed out on the final. Vedaant Madhavan finished sixth and Aneesh Sunil fourth in their respective men’s 200m freestyle heats, with qualification still to be determined.
Jaswinder Singh and Nitin Kumar finished fourth in the men’s pair heats and advanced to Final B. India’s women’s four rowing team of Gurbani Kaur, Aleena Anto, Tendenthoi Haobijam and Poonam also competed in the heats.
Looking ahead, India’s men’s badminton team, which has already secured a medal, will face China in the semifinals as it looks to progress to the final. Wushu athlete Roshibina Devi will also aim to reach the final of her event on Wednesday. (ANI)
Asian Games: Manu Bhaker qualifies for 10m air pistol final, women’s team finishes fourth
