Locked, loaded and ready: India's shooting stars take aim in Japan
Shooting has become one of the cornerstones of India's Asian Games campaign, and expectations will once again be high when the sport gets underway in Aichi-Nagoya.
India produced a record 22 medals in shooting at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, including seven golds, nine silvers and six bronzes. The 30-member squad heading to Japan has enough experience and depth across rifle, pistol and shotgun to mount another serious challenge.
The team is led by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, former world champion Rudrankksh Patil and Esha Singh, while established names such as Elavenil Valarivan, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anish Bhanwala and Rahi Sarnobat add further experience.
China will again be a major force, but India's recent performances have given the team reason to believe it can compete for medals across disciplines. The competition, however, remains unforgiving, with the smallest margins often deciding the podium.
Manu Bhaker is the obvious headline act.
The double Olympic medallist will compete in the women's 10m air pistol and 25m pistol, giving India two major individual medal opportunities. She is also part of the mixed-team setup.
The Asian Games also offer Bhaker a chance to add an individual medal that has so far eluded her. She has already won two Olympic bronze medals and a World Championship medal, but an individual Asian Games podium finish remains missing from her collection.
Alongside her, Esha Singh will compete in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol. Esha has been one of India's most consistent pistol shooters and will be among the names expected to challenge for medals.
Veteran Rahi Sarnobat completes a strong women's 25m pistol line-up, giving India considerable experience in the event.RIFLE FIREPOWER
India's rifle challenge has plenty of pedigree.
Rudrankksh Patil, the former world champion, will compete in the men's 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Niraj Kumar join him in the 50m 3P event.
In the women's 10m air rifle, Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod will carry India's challenge. Elavenil's international experience makes her one of the key names to watch.
The 10m air rifle mixed team event will also provide another medal opportunity, with Parth Mane and Elavenil forming India's pairing.
India's depth in rifle will be particularly important given the absence of some familiar names from Hangzhou. Paris Olympic medallist Swapnil Kusale is not part of the squad, but he has backed the selected shooters to deliver, saying their selection itself reflects the level they have reached through competitions and trials.THE JASPAL RANA VOID
The Asian Games will be India's first major assignment without Jaspal Rana, whose death in June has left a significant void in the country's pistol setup.
Rana was a decorated shooter himself, winning an Asian Games gold before moving into coaching. He later played a major role in Manu Bhaker's career and guided her to both of her bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.
His absence will inevitably put the spotlight on Bhaker, but former shooter and coach Vijay Kumar believes she has enough international experience and mental strength to handle the situation.
"It is very unfortunate. He was a good mentor and coach, and such quality is not there in everyone," Vijay said, while adding that Rana's absence should not necessarily affect India's medal tally.
"We want Manu to perform well, but if her performance does not come up to the mark, everyone will take that angle that her coach is not there. But she has played in so many international competitions and is so mentally strong... she should accept the situation and move forward."
For Bhaker, the Games will therefore carry an added emotional dimension. She was also one of India's flag-bearers at the opening ceremony, an occasion during which she said she missed Rana greatly.advertisementSHOTGUN FIREPOWERIndia's challenge is not limited to rifle and pistol.
In shotgun, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Kynan Chenai, Maheshwari Chauhan, Manisha Keer and Neeru Dhanda are among the names to watch.
Naruka and Mairaj headline the men's skeet challenge, while Maheshwari leads the women's skeet group. Kynan, meanwhile, brings experience to the men's trap event.
