Asian Games 2026: Manu Bhaker to spearhead India’s challenge in two pistol events; rapid fire to have only Anish Bhanwala

Image Credit: X Handle Manu Bhaker NEW DELHI: Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker will participate in two events at the upcoming Asian Games after being named in the 30-member Indian shooting squad, announced by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Thursday.The Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, with India looking to build on its strong showing at the previous edition in Hangzhou.Manu secured her spot in the women’s 25m pistol by placing second in the selection trials. She was also included in the women’s 10m air pistol despite finishing seventh in the final trials, with the selectors backing her experience and proven ability to play on the biggest stages.Apart from Manu, three other shooters – Vidarsa K. Vinod (Women’s 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions), former World Champion Rudrankksh Patil (Men’s 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions) and Esha Singh (Women and 25m Air Pistol) were selected for the two events.A notable decision by the NRAI was to field only one shooter, Anish Bhanwal, in the Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. While three Indian shooters will compete for individual and team medals in most events, the federation has decided not to fill all the available slots in rapid fire pistol.“While all the selected athletes have successfully cleared the stringent qualification slots set by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the final list is 30 athletes (15 men and 15 women) due to the strict dynamic quota limits enforced by the Games Organizing Committee,” the NRAI statement said.Sports ministry guidelines state that only athletes with realistic medal prospects should be selected for the Asian Games.“After extensive deliberation and detailed evaluation of the event, the committee has identified a select group of athletes capable of competing in multiple disciplines. This strategic approach enables India to maximize participation in all available events while maintaining the strongest possible medal prospects in both individual and team events,” the NRAI statement added.NRAI general secretary Pawankumar Singh said the federation has selected the strongest possible team.“We have selected the best possible team,” Singh told PTI.“The most significant decision was in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol, where we decided not to send a full team. We are only focusing on individual medals because we could not identify enough shooters with real medal prospects to field a team,” he said.Explaining Manu’s inclusion in the two events, Singh added, “We could only select 30 shooters — 15 men and 15 women. Yes, Manu is currently seventh in the 10m air pistol trials recently, but given her experience and ability to perform in the finals, she was the best choice to be included in both the 10m and 25m events.”“Her (Manu’s) ranking may be seventh in the 10m air pistol, but the difference in scores between her and those above her is not significant,” he said.The lineup was finalized during the selection committee meeting in Dehradun on 8NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo said the depth of talent in Indian shooting makes the selection process particularly challenging.“Selecting this team was a challenging task given the exceptional depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting today. The final squad reflects the strength, depth and versatility of Indian shooting. We are confident that this team will represent India with distinction and do the nation proud in Aichi-Nagoya.”platoon: Rifle (Men) — 10m Air Rifle: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudranksh Patil. 50m rifle 3-position: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, Rudranksh Patil. (Women) 10m Air Rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa K Vinod. 50m rifle 3-position: Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen. (10m Mixed Air Rifle Team) Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavenil Valarivan.Pistol (Men) — 10m Air Pistol: Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Gaurav, Kamaljeet. 25m Rapid Fire: Anish Bhanwala. (Women) 10m Air Pistol: Suruchi, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker. 25m Sport Pistol: Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat. (10m Mixed Team Air Pistol) Kedarling B. Uchaganve and Suruchi.Shotgun: (Men) — Trap: Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj. (Women) Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat. Skeet (Men) Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan. (Women) Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan.