NAGOYA, SEP 25 (IANS): India’s campaign at the Asian Games in Nagoya witnessed two outstanding performances that brought glory to the nation, one in shooting and the other in athletics. Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamaljeet combined their precision and composure to clinch the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, setting a new Asian record in the process. Meanwhile, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh upgraded his previous bronze medal to silver in the men’s 10,000m, continuing his remarkable run on the international stage.
In shooting, Suruchi and Kamaljeet produced a record-breaking score of 484.6 in the final, surpassing the previous Asian record of 481.3 set by Uzbekistan’s Mukhammad Kamalov and Nigina Saidkulova earlier this year. Their performance was marked by consistency and calmness under pressure, as they held off a strong challenge from South Korea’s Suhyeon Hong and Gaeun Choo, who finished with 478.0 to claim silver. Iran’s Vahid Golkhandan and Haniyeh Rostamiyan secured bronze with 415.8, while Indonesia’s Darmoyo A. and Prabowo M. finished fourth. The Indian duo had already signaled their form in the qualification round, breaking the Asian Games Qualification Record with a score of 587, which included 29 inner 10s. This surpassed the previous record of 577 set by Sarabjot Singh and Divya Subbaraju in Hangzhou 2023. Their qualification tally also equalled the Asian record set by Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker in 2021. The gold medal not only added to India’s shooting tally but also reinforced the country’s dominance in precision shooting at the continental level. For Suruchi and Kamaljeet, the victory was more than just a medal; it was a historic achievement that etched their names into the Asian record books.
Gulveer Singh wins silver in 10,000m
Gulveer Singh, on the other hand, showcased his endurance and determination in the men’s 10,000m event. Clocking 28:29.38 minutes, he finished second behind Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, who took gold with 28:27.51. Bahrain’s Albert Kipto completed the podium with a time of 28:34.18. Gulveer’s silver medal marked an upgrade from his bronze at the previous edition of the Asian Games in Hangzhou and added another significant achievement to his career. Earlier this year, he had also won silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The 28-year-old Naib Subedar in the Indian Army has been in exceptional form over the past two years, winning gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
He holds Indian national records in the 5,000m, 10,000m, one mile, and half marathon. His historic feats include becoming the first Indian to run a sub-four-minute mile with a time of 3:55.63 and the first to complete a half marathon in under 60 minutes, clocking 59:42. He also became the first Asian athlete to break the 13-minute barrier in the indoor 5,000m, recording 12:59.77.
Training at Colorado Springs in the United States, Gulveer has been preparing rigorously for major international competitions, and his silver medal in Nagoya is a testament to his dedication and consistency.
Together, Suruchi and Kamaljeet’s record-breaking gold and Gulveer Singh’s upgraded silver highlight India’s growing strength across diverse sporting disciplines.
These achievements not only add to the country’s medal tally but also inspire confidence in the nation’s athletes as they continue to make their mark on the continental and global stage. The Asian Games in Nagoya have thus become a platform for India to showcase its rising dominance in both precision shooting and long-distance running, with these victories standing out as defining moments in the nation’s sporting journey.
India clinch silver in Men’s 50m Rifle 3P
Indian shooting team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil clinched a silver medal in the Men’s 50M Rifle 3 Positions team final after a strong performance at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Friday.
The Indian shooters shot a combined 1762-94x in the final to take the second spot as China (1766-95x) clinched gold and South Korea (1751-87x) bagged the bronze medals. There was more joy for the Indian fans as Aishwary and Niraj also qualified for the individual final event, which will be taking place later in the day.
The Indian shooting contingent has been facing scrutiny after missing out on medals in the 10m air pistol men’s and women’s events. However, the rifle brought another medal, while Suruchi Phogat and Kamaljeet clinched a gold medal in the 10m pistol mixed team event on the same day.
Manush Shah, Diya Chitale secure bronze
Indian paddlers Manush Shah and Diya Chitale earned a historic bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Asian Games after falling to China’s two-time defending champions Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin in the semifinal.
The Indian duo had earlier stunned four-time world medallists and World No.4 Wong Chun and Doo Ho 3-1 in the quarterfinal, but they could not replicate that form against the Olympic champions.
Despite showing resistance in the opening game, which they lost 8-11, the Indians were overwhelmed in the subsequent games, going down 5-11, 8-11, and 2-11 to concede the match 0-4. Their achievement marks only the second time an Indian mixed doubles pair has won a medal at the Asian Games, following Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra. Elsewhere, India’s doubles and singles campaigns faced setbacks, with Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sreeja Akula, Syndrela Das, and Manav Thakkar bowing out, though Yashaswini advanced in women’s singles with a 4-1 win over Syria’s Hend Zaza.
Shot-putter Manpreet Kaur wins bronze
India’s Manpreet Kaur clinched the bronze medal in women’s shot put competition of the Asian Games with an effort of 17.17m here on Friday.
The gold and silver in this event were claimed by China through Song Jiayuan (19.40m) and Zhang Linru (18.14m).
The 36-year-old Manpreet’s last major international performance prior to the Games was a bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships. Her personal best is 18.06m that came in 2022.
She had finished fifth at the 2023 Asian Games and was fourth at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with an effort of 17.49m. Earlier this year, Manpreet won the National Inter-State Championships with 17.75m, surpassing the Asian Games qualification standard of 16.25m.
Manpreet was a part of the Indian athletics contingent that was training in University of Tsukuba near Tokyo before the Asian Games.
Baranica wins bronze in women’s pole vault
Baranica Elangovan created history by winning India’s first-ever medal in the women’s pole vault at the Asian Games, clinching a joint bronze alongside Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova. Both athletes cleared 4.15m and had identical failures at 4.25m, sharing the podium. Japan’s Misaki Morota took gold with a personal best of 4.55m, while China’s Chunge Niu secured silver at 4.50m.
Though Baranica’s effort was below her personal best of 4.23m, it was enough to secure a landmark medal for India in the discipline. Earlier this year, she had set a national record of 4.22m at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, later improving it to 4.23m at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault competition. She also won gold at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships with a clearance of 4.20m.
The 29-year-old athlete from Tamil Nadu overcame an ACL injury in 2020 and rehabilitated before moving to the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar in 2023.