Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet delivered India their first gold medal in shooting at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, by winning the 10m air pistol mixed team title.
The Indian pair shot an Asian record 484.6 in the final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery to beat the Republic of Korea, who finished second with 478.0. Islamic Republic of Iran took bronze with 415.8.
It was India’s first Asian Games gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, improving on the silver won by Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS at Hangzhou 2023.
“It’s wonderful that India’s first gold medal in shooting has come from me,” said Suruchi, who is competing in her maiden Asian Games.
“We were so determined to win the gold. There have been so many silvers and bronze, but we weren’t getting gold. I was wondering why?
“Then I thought, ‘it’s waiting for me, I will have to bring the gold’. And I have!”
Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet had earlier topped qualification with 587-29x, equalling the Asian record and setting a new Asian Games qualification record.
Their score eclipsed the previous Asian Games qualification mark of 577 set by Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS in Hangzhou.
The 587 also matched the Asian record set by Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in Osijek.
Suruchi and Kamaljeet carried that form into the final, opening with an impressive 103.0 to establish a 4.9-point advantage over South Korea.
The Indian duo continued to pull clear during the elimination stage and eventually won by 6.6 points, completing an emphatic turnaround after a difficult start to India’s 10m air pistol campaign.
Kamaljeet had finished ninth in the men’s individual qualification and narrowly missed the final, while Suruchi placed 26th in the women’s event. Both the Indian men’s and women’s 10m air pistol teams had also finished fourth.
India won another medal on Friday through Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil, who combined for 1762 to win silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
The People’s Republic of China won gold with 1766, while South Korea claimed bronze.
Aishwary led the Indian trio with 589-34x, finishing third in qualification. Niraj was fourth with 588-34x, while Rudrankksh shot 585-26x to finish ninth.
Aishwary and Niraj progressed to the eight-man medal round but neither could add an individual medal. Aishwary finished fifth with 327.6, while Niraj placed eighth with 299.0.
Aishwary had been one of India’s most successful shooters at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, returning with four medals. He won gold in both the men’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions team events, alongside individual bronze in the 10m air rifle and silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2026-10m-air-pistol-mixed-team-gold-medal-india-report
