Image credit: X Handle by Manu Bhaker
New Delhi: Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker will compete in two events in 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 aiming to build on its strong performance in the previous edition in Hangzhou.
Manu earned her place in the women’s 25 meter pistol competition by placing second in the selection trials. She was also included in the women’s 10m air pistol competition despite finishing seventh in the recent trials, with selectors backing her experience and proven ability to perform on the biggest stages.Besides Manu, three other shooters were selected for two events – Vidarsa K. Vinod (women’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions), former world champion Rudranksh Patel (men’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions), and Isha Singh (women’s 10m air rifle and 25m pistol).The notable decision taken by the NRAI was to field only one shooter, Anish Bhanwala, in the men’s 25m rapid pistol event. While most of the events will feature three Indian shooters competing for individual and team medals, the federation has decided not to fill all the available slots in the rapid-fire pistol.
“While all the shortlisted athletes have successfully passed the stringent qualifying thresholds set by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the final list stands at 30 athletes (15 men and 15 women) due to strict dynamic quota limits imposed by the Games Organizing Committee,” the NRAI statement said.Sports Ministry guidelines state that only athletes with realistic expectations of medals should be selected for the Asian Games.“After extensive deliberations and detailed evaluation of the event, the committee has identified a selection of athletes capable of competing across multiple disciplines. This strategic approach enables India to maximize participation in all available events while maintaining the strongest possible medal chances in both individual and team competitions,” the NRAI statement added.NRAI Secretary General Pawankumar Singh said that the association has chosen the strongest possible squad.“We have selected the best possible team,” Singh told PTI.“The most important decision was in the men’s 25m rapid pistol competition, where we chose not to send a full team. We are only targeting the individual medal event because we could not identify enough shooters with realistic medal prospects to field a team,” he said.Explaining Manu’s inclusion in the two events, Singh added, “We could select only 30 shooters – 15 men and 15 women.
Yes, Manu is currently ranked 7th after the recent 10m air pistol trials, but given her experience and ability to perform in the finals, she was the best choice for inclusion in both the 10m and 25m air pistol competitions.He said: “Her (Manu) may be ranked seventh in the 10-meter air pistol, but the gap in scores between her and those above her is not large.”The team was finalized during the selection committee meeting in Dehradun on June 8.NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo said the depth of talent in Indian shooting made the selection process particularly difficult.“Selecting this team was a difficult task given the exceptional depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting today. The final squad reflects the strength, depth and diversity of Indian shooting. We are confident that this team will represent India with distinction and make the nation proud at Aichi-Nagoya.”a team: Rifle (men) – 10 meter air rifle: Parth Rakesh Mani, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudranksh Patel. 50M Rifle 3 Positions: Aishwari Pratap Singh Tomar, Neeraj Kumar, Rudrankesh Patel. (Women) 10m Air Rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa K Vinod. 50 meter rifle 3 positions: Ashi Choksi, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen (10 meter air rifle mixed team), Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavinil Valarivan.Pistol (men) – 10m air pistol: Kedarling B. Ushajanvi, Gaurav, Kamaljeet. 25m Rapid Fire: Anish Bhanwala.
(Women) 10m air pistol: Suruchi, Isha Singh, Manu Bhaker. 25m Pistol: Isha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat. (10m air pistol mixed team) Kedarling B. Uchaganve and Suruchi.Rifle: (Men) – Trap: Keenan Chennai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj. (Women) Neeru, Manisha Kerr, Ashima Ahlawat. Skeet (Men) Anantjit Singh Naroka, Bhavti Singh Gill, Miraj Ahmed Khan. (Women) Parinaz Dhaliwal, Raisa Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan.
