Changwon
On the first day of the 15th Asian Shooting Championship in Changwon, Korea, India achieved success as Sarabjot Singh secured a bronze medal in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol event, earning India an eighth quota place for the Paris 2024 Olympics in Shooting. This marked the first quota place in Pistol events. Sarabjot posted a score of 221.1 in the final, finishing behind two Chinese shooters, Zhang Yifan (gold, 243.7), and Liu Jinyao (silver, 242.1). Sarabjot had earlier qualified for the top eight with a score of 581, securing the eighth spot. Since China had already used their two quotas in the event and only one of the two eligible Koreans could earn a quota, Sarabjot faced a challenge to secure a high finish. He took the lead after the first five shots, a crucial move, and as the two Chinese competitors caught up and passed him, Sarabjot maintained his composure and earned yet another international podium finish. In the Women’s Air Pistol event, none of the five Indian participants, including those competing for ranking points, made it to the top eight. Rhythm Sangwan finished 11th (577), Esha Singh 13th (576), Surbhi Rao 15th (575), Ruchita Vinerkar 22nd (571), and Palak ended 25th (570). Among the other male participants in the Men’s Air Pistol, Varun Tomar (578) and Kunal Rana (577) finished 16th and 17th, while Shiva (576) was 20th, and Saurabh Chaudhary (569) secured the 35th position. The junior pistol events, as well as the Men’s and Women’s Skeet qualifications, were also underway on the first day of the competition.
