Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 25 (ANI): Indian mixed doubles shooters Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet clinched the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games, securing India’s second gold medal of the competition.
The Indian duo finished with a total of 484.6 points in the final to beat South Korea, who won silver with 478.0 points. Iran claimed the bronze medal with 415.8 points, while Indonesia finished with 349.4 points and were eliminated.
The Indian duo of Suruchi and Kamaljeet also smashed the Asian Record which was previously set by Uzbekistan (481.3) earlier this year in New Delhi during the Asian Shooting Championships event.
India currently have 19 medals at the 2026 Games, comprising two golds, eight silvers and nine bronze medals.
Suruchi and Kamaljeet made a strong start to the final, registering 103 points in the opening series to take the lead. South Korea were second with 98.1 points, followed by Iran at 98.0 and Indonesia at 95.2.
The Indians added 99.4 points in the second series to take their overall tally to 202.4. South Korea responded strongly with 103.1 points to close the gap, with their total reaching 201.2.
India then extended their advantage in the third series with 101.1 points, taking their tally to 303.5. South Korea managed 99 points to finish the stage on 300.2, while Iran had 295.0 and Indonesia 291.0.
Suruchi and Kamaljeet continued to hold the advantage in Stage 2. They scored 61.2 points in the first series to reach 364.7, increasing their lead over South Korea to 5.8 points. Indonesia were eliminated after finishing on 349.4.
The Indian pair further extended their lead to 8.4 points after the second series of Stage 2, with their tally reaching 424.9. South Korea stood at 416.5, while Iran took the bronze with 415.8.
South Korea mounted a late challenge in the final series, but Suruchi and Kamaljeet held on to finish with 484.6 points, 6.6 points clear of the silver medallists. Their final score was just four points short of the world record.
The gold is India’s second at the Asian Games so far. Earlier, the Indian women’s cricket team clinched gold after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the gold medal match.
India enjoyed a strong outing across disciplines, with shooting, table tennis and squash providing medal highlights. APS Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil and Niraj Kumar won silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event, while Tomar and Niraj will also compete in the individual final later.
In table tennis, Diya Chitale and Manush Shah defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem in the mixed doubles quarterfinals to assure India of a medal. In squash, Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar also secured a medal berth after beating the Philippines’ David Pelino and Jemcya Aribado in the mixed doubles quarterfinals.
In swimming, Sajan Prakash qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final after finishing third in his heat. Rishabh Das and Utkarsh Patil also advanced to the men’s 200m backstroke final.
In badminton, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced in mixed doubles after beating Maldives’ Aminath Abdul Razzaq and Nibal Ahmed.
In shooting, Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh topped the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification.
India also had mixed results elsewhere. Prohit Baroi and Prasanna Kumar advanced to Final B in the men’s kayak double 500m, while the women’s kayak four finished eighth. India’s men’s and women’s fencing teams were eliminated in the round of 16, while Megha Pradeep and Neha Leichonbam exited the women’s canoe double 500m. Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade lost their table tennis quarterfinal. In swimming, Dhanush Suresh, Aneesh Sunil and Dhakshan Shashikumar failed to advance. In athletics, Anamika Aneesh and Pooja remained seventh and ninth respectively in the women’s heptathlon standings. (ANI)
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