Shooting, Asian Airgun Championship 2022: Key Takeaways from India's Successful Campaign

Indian shooters enjoyed a successful outing at the Asian Airgun Championship 2022 which was held at the Daegu International Shooting Range in Daegu, South Korea from November 9 to November 19, 2022. The Indians completely dominated the tournament from start to end as they claimed 25 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze medals to top the team standings, collecting 38 medals. No other team was able to give India a run for its money when it came to the number of gold medals. The next best team was the host country South Korea which aggregated a total of 29 medals, out of which just ‘Three’ were gold. However, one of the shooting powerhouses, China, didn’t participate in the competition.

The Indian Shooters were simply outstanding as they ended their campaign, grabbing medals in each of the categories of the tournament. Shooting is one of the sports in which Indians have always shown their prowess on the international level and they lived up to the reputation yet again. The competition only included 10m Rifle and Pistol events in the Senior, Junior, and Youth categories. Among the medalists were Tokyo Olympians Manu Bhaker, Divyansh Singh Panwar, Elavenil Valarivan, star pistol shooters Shiva Narwal, Rhytmn Sangwan, and Esha Singh. We will now look at the key takeaways from the 15th edition of the Asian continental tournament.

1. Divyansh Singh Panwar Regain in form

Divyansh Singh Panwar showcased his skills in the junior air rifle competitions as he claimed three gold medals in the individual, men’s team, and mixed team events of 10m Air Rifle in the junior category. In the final of the men’s 10m air rifle junior, Divyansh Singh Panwar defeated Seungho Bang of South Korea 17-9 after dominating the ranking round with 260.7 points. He later went on to win the finals in the team events. The Jaipur-born shooter had entered the Summer Olympics 2020 as the youngest among the Indian contingent and was also one of the prime contenders to carry the legacy of Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang. It turned out to be a disappointing campaign for the 18-year-old as he finished 32nd in the individual round and 12th in the mixed-team event qualification round alongside Elavenil Valarivan. However, this performance would have definitely bolstered his confidence after a disheartening Tokyo Olympics campaign and given him immense belief for the forthcoming tournaments.

2. Ace Shooter Manu Bhaker Finishing on Top of the Podium

Manu Bhaker is one of the most well-known names when it comes to Indian Shooting. The world has already witnessed how good of a shooter she is. But, there always comes a time in an athlete’s life when luck doesn’t go in your favor. This was just the case of the 21-year-old prodigy who encountered many such instances when she couldn’t find herself on the top of the podium despite being on the verge of winning a medal or weapon malfunction during the Tokyo Olympics 2020. But, the Haryana-born shooter had time and again delivered and shut the mouths of her critics through her performances. This time, she did it by sweeping all the gold medals in the junior category of the 10m air pistol events. She defeated compatriot Esha Singh to win the gold in the women’s individual event and also won the women’s team and mixed team events.

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3. Mehuli Ghosh’s Dominance in the Continental-Tournament with Three Golds

However, the athlete who stood out the most was rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh. Mehuli clinched gold medals in all three senior events – Women’s Individual, Team, and Mixed Team events, thus making a huge statement in the Asian tournament. She got the better of Korean shooter Eunyoung Cho by 16-12 to take home the individual gold. With this, Mehuli has proven that she is among the best rifle shooters in the country and shouldn’t be considered lightly at any cost. The 21-year-old rose to fame when she became the silver medalist in the Commonwealth Games 2018 held at Gold Coast in Australia after losing the shoot-off against Martina Veloso. The way in which Mehuli has been consistently delivering great performances in the women’s 10m rifle event on the international arena, it seems like India won’t have to wait for a longer period for the Paris Olympics 2024 quota.

4. The Rise of Tilottama Sen

Tilottama Sen grabbed everyone’s attention during the National Games 2022 when she stunned her senior counterparts with a sensational shooting, with a total of 633.6 in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification. What was a shocker for the people was her qualification score which she shot in the National Games as it is considered World class/Olympic-level shooting. She then continued her dream run in the World Championships Cairo 2022, topping the qualification round with a score of 633 in the qualifications in the junior category, and went on to clinch the bronze medal. At the Asian Airgun Championship 2022, Tilottama claimed both the women’s individual and team gold medals. A day after becoming the champion in the 10m air rifle junior event, Tilottama helped her team to take home the gold, alongside Ramita and Nancy. If she keeps going in this fashion, that day might not be too far when India witnesses its youngest-ever Olympic medalist.

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Asian Airgun Championship 2022: A Look at all the Medalists from the Indian Contingent