Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, 23 September 2026: Indian shooting star Manu Bhaker finished fifth in the women’s 10m Air Pistol individual event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, while India narrowly missed out on a medal in the team competition, finishing fourth on the inner-10 count.
Bhaker, who qualified third for the individual final with a score of 579-20x, began the eight-shooter medal round strongly. She scored 50.8 in the opening series and took her aggregate to 100.3 after the second series.
The final then moved into the elimination phase. Bhaker had 120.4 points after the first elimination stage and remained in medal contention. Her aggregate subsequently rose to 140.4 and then 160.7 before she finished on 181.1.
Bhaker was eliminated after the fourth stage of the final, when four shooters remained in contention for the medals, leaving her fifth overall.
Earlier in the day, Bhaker, who clinched two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, had secured her place in the individual final by finishing third in qualification with 579 points, including 20 inner 10s.
In the women’s 10m Air Pistol team event, India finished fourth after being edged out by Vietnam despite both teams recording an identical score of 1719.
The Indian trio of Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh registered 44 inner 10s, while Vietnam recorded 46 to claim the bronze medal. China won the team gold with 1735, while South Korea took silver with 1730.
Notably, for Manu, Esha, and Suruchi, the pursuit of glory is far from over. Manu and Esha will return to the range in the women’s 25m Pistol event, while Suruchi will compete in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. With more opportunities to challenge for the podium ahead, the trio will be determined to turn the experience of Wednesday into a strong finish at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
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