Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 25 (ANI): The Indian shooting trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Aishwary Pratap Tomar and Niraj Kumar secured India a silver medal in the men’s 50 m rifle 3 positions team event at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday.
India registered a final score of 1762-94x, falling short of gold medalists China (1766-95x). The bronze medal went to South Korea (1751-87x). After winning the gold medal at the event in the 2022 Asian Games, India lost their title to China.
This is India’s 18th medal at the ongoing Asian Games, having won one gold, adding an eighth silver to the tally. India has also won nine bronze medals.
Aishwary (589-34x) stood third in the individual standings, while Niraj stood at fourth with a score of 588-34x. Both have qualified for the men’s 50 m rifle 3 positions individual final. Rudrankksh, who stood at ninth spot with a score of 585-26x, could not make it to the finals.
Meanwhile, India has also guaranteed itself two medals in racquet sports.
Indian squash players Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar advanced to the mixed doubles semifinals at the Asian Games, assuring India of at least a bronze medal in the event.
The Indian pair defeated their Filipino opponents 11-3, 11-5 in the quarterfinals to book their place in the last four.
For 40-year-old Chinappa, the medal comes 16 years after she won her first Asian Games medal. She has now added another podium finish to her distinguished continental record alongside Senthilkumar.
Chinappa and Senthilkumar will face Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong in the semifinals on Saturday.
India also assured itself of a table tennis medal at the Asian Games after the mixed doubles pair of Diya Chitale and Manush Shah stormed into the semifinals with a stunning victory over Hong Kong’s world No. 4 duo Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem.
The Indian pair, ranked eighth in the world, defeated the Hong Kong combination 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) in the quarterfinals to confirm at least a bronze medal for the country.
Chitale and Shah produced a dominant display against the experienced Hong Kong pair, who are multiple-time World Championship medallists, with their latest podium finish coming at the 2025 World Championships.
With this win, India will now compete in the mixed doubles semifinals, where they face a formidable Chinese pair of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.
The medal marks India’s second-ever table tennis mixed doubles medal at the Asian Games. The first came through Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra, who won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. (ANI)
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