New Delhi: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Thursday announced the 30-member shooting squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, which are
scheduled to be held in n Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
India’s Olympic medallist pistol shooterManu Bhaker will participate in two events, while Anish Bhanwala will be the only Indian representative in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event. Manu was named in the 10m air pistol event due to her ability to deliver under pressure on the biggest stages, despite finishing in seventh position in the latest trials conducted by the federation.
But Manu had already booked her spot in the 25m pistol event after finishing second in the trials, which guaranteed her qualification. The shooting events across the shotgun, pistol and rifle will feature three Indian shooters, who will compete for individual and team medals, but only Anish Bhanwala will participate in the 25m rapid-fire pistol event.
The federation didn’t name two additional players just to fill the quota and preferred to field only those who are considered genuine medal contenders.
“While all selected athletes successfully cleared the stringent qualification slots laid down by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the final roster stands at 30 athletes (15 Men and 15 Women) due to strict dynamic quota caps enforced by the Games’ Organising Committee,” the NRAI said in a statement.
Indian shooting squad for Asian Games 2026
Rifle (Men), 10m air rifle: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil.
50m rifle 3-positions: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, Rudrankksh Patil.
10m air rifle (Women): Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa K Vinod.
50m rifle 3-positions: Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen.
10m air rifle mixed team: Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavenil Valarivan.
Pistol (Men), 10m air pistol: Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Gaurav, Kamaljeet.
25m rapid fire: Anish Bhanwala.
10m air pistol (Women): Suruchi, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker.
25m sports pistol: Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat.
10m air pistol mixed team: Kedarling B. Uchaganve and Suruchi.
Shotgun (Men), Trap: Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj.
Women: Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat.
Skeet (Men): Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan.
Women: Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan.
