India win rifle 3 positions silver as Aishwary, Niraj reach final

India’s Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil won silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event at the Asian Games. Aishwary and Niraj also qualified for the individual final with strong qualification scores

Nagoya: Indian shooting team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil clinched a silver medal in the Men’s 50M Rifle 3 Positions team final after a strong performance at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Friday.

The Indian shooters shot a combined 1762-94x in the final to take the second spot as China (1766-95x) clinched gold and South Korea (1751-87x) bagged the bronze medals. There was more joy for the Indian fans as Aishwary and Niraj also qualified for the individual final event, which will be taking place later in the day.

---

The Indian shooting contingent has been facing scrutiny after missing out on medals in the 10m air pistol men’s and women’s events. However, the rifle brought another medal, while Suruchi Phogat and Kamaljeet clinched a gold medal in the 10m pistol mixed team event on the same day.

Talking about the rifle event, the Indian shooters scored 587 points in the two kneeling series. They displayed another strong performance in the prone series, bagging 593 points in the two series to tally a score of 1180 across the first two positions.

Meanwhile, the Indian shooters continued their strong performance and shot 582 in the standing series to finish with a total of 1762-94x. Meanwhile, Aishwary and Niraj also qualified for the individual final. Aishwary finished third in the individual qualification list with a score of 589-34x, while Niraj was fourth with a score of 588-34x. Patil was ninth with a score of 585-26x.

In the 10m air pistol mixed team event, Suruchi and Kamaljeet produced a record-breaking performance to win the gold medal, combining for an Asian record score of 484.6 in the final.

The Indian pair held their nerve in a high-pressure final and delivered a superb display of precision and consistency to finish at the top of the standings. Their 484.6 score not only secured the gold medal but also set a new Asian record in the final.

Suruchi and Kamaljeet were in control for much of the competition, maintaining their composure as the pressure increased. Their remarkable score eventually proved enough to keep the Republic of Korea at bay.