Asian Games 2023: Men’s Air Rifle Shooting Team Wins First Gold Medal For India

India has bagged its first gold medal in the ongoing Asian Games 2023 gold medal in Hangzhou as the men's 10m air rifle team, comprising Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar emerged victorious.

In the individual qualification round, the trio achieved a cumulative score of 1893.7 points, surpassing the prior world record set by China in the Baku World Championship last month by 0.4 points.

Rudrankksh secured the third position in the qualification round and stood out as the top performer of the team with a score of 632.5. Aishwary followed closely with 631.6 points, securing the fifth position. Divyansh achieved a final score of 629.6, earning him a spot in the final; however, he won't be eligible for an individual medal since only two shooters from a National Olympic Committee (NOC) can advance to the final.

While South Korea ended in second place with 1890.1 points, China took third place with a total score of 1888.2.

The icing on the cake is the three shooters qualified for the top-8 in the 10m Air Rifle event. However, only two contestants can from each country can qualify for the final. Hence, Rudrankksh and Aishwary went to the next level.

So far, India has won seven medals at the ongoing Asian Games, consisting of one gold, three silver, and three bronze.