India’s juniors take centre stage at Asian Shooting Championship

Kapil. Image : NRAI

 

Rohan Chowdhury

The 16th Asian Shooting Championship began in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, on Monday, August 18, with Indian shooters delivering a mixed performance. The main event on the day was the 10m Air Pistol, where India’s junior shooters stood out.

In the junior men’s event, Kapil clinched the gold medal in a dramatic finish, while Antony Jonathan Gavin secured the bronze. Kapil showed remarkable composure under pressure, sealing victory with back-to-back scores of 10.8 and 10.6 in the final round, edging past Uzbekistan’s Obidjonov Ilkhombek, who managed 10.4 and 9.4. Kapil finished with a total of 243.0, while Gavin, despite a gap from the top two, secured third place with 220.7, ahead of Iran’s Iqbal Raia (197.9).

In the senior category, Anmol Jain, praised by national head coach Samaresh Jung ahead of the tournament, made it to the final but had to settle for sixth place with a score of 155.1. In qualification, Anmol posted 580-17x with a steady series of (94, 96, 98, 96, 97, 99), showing improvement as the rounds progressed.

In the team event—based on the combined qualification scores of three athletes—India (Anmol Jain, Aditya Malra, and Saurabh Chaudhary) finished second, scoring 1735-52x, just behind China’s 1744.

The qualification round also highlighted the strength of India’s shooting bench. Amit Sharma and Varun Tomar finished first and fourth respectively, but were competing under RPO (Ranking Points Only) status, making them ineligible for medals. Their performances nevertheless underscored the intense internal competition and depth within India’s shooting circuit.

Aditya Malra shot 579-20x to finish 13th, while Saurabh Chaudhary had a below-par outing, placing 21st with 576-15x.

With a strong start in the junior ranks and signs of depth and talent across the board, Team India looks poised for an exciting championship ahead.

Next up, on Tuesday, August 19, the women’s 10m pistol shooters begin their campaign, along with India’s shotgun athletes.

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