Sport has a way of humbling those who take it for granted: India’s pistol coach Ronak

What was expected to be India’s golden day at the Asian Games shooting range turned into a nightmare with two of the country’s biggest hopes stumbling, fumbling and faltering in the qualification round, shooting scores low enough to miss out on a medal as a team as well.

On the flip side, the skeet shooters made up for the disappointment in pistol to ensure the day did not end medal-less for India. The women’s 10m air pistol has been one of the most reliable medal events for India over the past few years, including a gold-silver double in the previous edition.

On Wednesday (September 23, 2026), the silver medallist from Hangzhou, Esha Singh, finished 15th in the qualifying round and Suruchi Phogat, on a roll in the last 18 months, further down at 26th.