With the grand stage of the Asian Games 2026 just around the corner, India’s elite shooting contingent is fine-tuning its sights for a stellar campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, starting September 19. Building on their historic and phenomenal outing at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games—where Indian marksmen and women dominated the shooting ranges to bag an impressive haul of 22 medals—the national squad is leaving no stone unturned in their quest to emulate and surpass past glories, with multi-medalist Manu Bhaker leading the charge.
Intensive Final-Stage Training Camps in Bhopal and New Delhi
To ensure peak performance on the international stage, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has organized rigorous, specialized preparatory camps across premier facilities in the country. Rifle and pistol athletes are currently training at the state-of-the-art Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal from September 5 to September 14. Simultaneously, shotgun specialists have hit the ranges at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, with skeet and trap camps running through mid-September. High-Performance Director Pierre Beauchaine emphasized that this final phase prioritizes precision, mental resilience, and technical refinement over high-volume practice, allowing sports science and coaching units to meticulously analyze athlete performance data.
Star-Studded Indian Shooting Squad for Asian Games 2026
The announced Indian contingent features a lethal blend of Olympic veterans, seasoned champions, and explosive rising talents across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines. The rifle and pistol squad boasts powerhouse competitors, featuring Olympic star Manu Bhaker alongside Esha Singh and Suruchi in the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m sports pistol events. Meanwhile, the men’s rifle lineup is anchored by world-class names such as Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, and Parth Rakesh Mane. The shotgun contingent is equally formidable, bringing together elite marksmen like Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Kynan Chenai, and Maheshwari Chauhan, all primed to hit the bullseye and make the nation proud in Japan.
