China and India took two gold medals apiece in the women’s 10m air pistol and men’s 50m rifle three positions events, while India broke the men’s 50m rifle team world record at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday.
Once falling nearly three points behind, China’s 20-year-old Du Linshu staged a strong comeback to claim the gold in the men’s 50m rifle three positions individual final.
In the men’s team event, India, comprising Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Suresh Kusale and Akhil Sheoran, registered a new world record of 1,769 points to win the gold, shattering the previous mark of 1,761 set by the United States in 2022.
China, composed of Du, Yu Hao and Tian Jiaming, ranked second with 1,763 points, which also exceeded the previous world record. South Korea won the bronze with 1,748.
In the individual final, Kusale recorded a series of high points to extend his lead to 2.8 points, while his advantage was trimmed to 0.8 points after 10 shots on standing.
In the first knockout shot, Kusale shot a rare 7.6 points and withdrew from the title contest. Although Du had a 9.0-point shot, he managed to find the target again in the following shots, finally scoring a title-winning 460.6 points. Another Indian marksman Tomar won the silver with 0.9 points behind. China’s Tian Jiaming took the bronze.
“There’s a lot of luck in winning the title this time. Indeed, I’m not stable enough in usual training, so I need to improve my ability of resisting pressure,” said Du.
Zhao Nan and Jiang Ranxin both scored 581 points, ranking the top two in the women’s 10m air pistol qualification, helping China win the team gold with 1,736 points. India ranked second with 1,731 points, while Chinese Taipei took the bronze with 1,723.
In the individual final, two Indian teenagers, 17-year-old Palak and 18-year-old Esha Singh, led all the way after the first 10 shots. Palak won the individual gold with 242.1 points, while Singh settled for the silver with 239.7 points. Kishmala Talat of Pakistan won the bronze.
“I felt quite nervous at the beginning of the final, which means that I should exercise more and make up for my shortcomings as much as possible in the future,” said Jiang, who finished fifth in the individual final, about her performance.
Jiang, a two-time Olympic medalist, made her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou. “As the games are held at home, everyone is enthusiastic, making me nervous as I stood on the field. However, this will bring me more experience in the upcoming competitions on finding my own way,” she said.
The 10m air pistol mixed team will be held on Saturday as Jiang and Zhang Bowen represent China in the competition.
