New Delhi, February 4: Indian pistol shooters are set to compete at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi as the Asian Championship for rifle and pistol events kicks off. The first day will feature the 10-meter air pistol event, where medals will be awarded.
World champion Samrat Rana, World Cup final champion Suruchi Singh, Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, and Esha Singh will lead the Indian team, aiming to secure a strong start in this continental event.
On Wednesday, four finals will take place, including senior men’s and women’s events, as well as junior and youth men’s finals. Suruchi Singh and Samrat Rana are among the favorites for gold in the women’s event, alongside Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh.
Hong Kong’s world number four and silver medalist Ho Ching Shing is also a strong contender in the women’s 10-meter air pistol category. She has qualified for the continental finals four times and won a silver medal in 2019.
A potential dark horse for a medal is Cheng Yen-Ching from Chinese Taipei, ranked 16th in the world. The 19-year-old athlete placed 25th in her first World Championship and finished fifth in her ISSF World Cup debut in Munich. Vietnam’s Thu Vinh Trinh, a two-time Asian bronze medalist and two-time Olympic finalist, will also compete.
Current world champion Samrat Rana will lead the Indian men’s team, joined by world number two and bronze medalist Varun Tomar, as well as Shrawan Kumar, who placed 12th at the World Championship.
Kazakhstan’s Valery Rakhimzhan, ranked eighth in the world and a silver medalist from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, will be a key competitor, along with Hsieh Hsiang-Chen from Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan’s world number 25 Mukhamad Kamalov, who finished ninth at the 2025 World Championship.
Junior and youth athletes will also be in action, with Jonathan Gavin Anthony, Mukesh Nelavalli, Deaflympics medalist Abhinav Deshwal, Himanshu Rana, and Priyanshu Yadav competing in the junior category. In the youth category, Darren K. Don, Girish Gupta, Abhay Dhama, Mandeep Chauhan, Dhairya Prashar, and Hardik Bansal will take the stage.
The host team has sent the largest contingent with 118 athletes, while Kazakhstan has the second-largest team with 35 athletes. Regional powerhouses Korea and Japan have also fielded strong teams, and shooters from Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, and Hong Kong are expected to perform well.