The triumvirate of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan fired in tandem to shoot the gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol team event as Indian shooters dominated proceedings at the Asian Games here on Wednesday.
Manu, Esha and Rhythm totalled 1759 to finish on top of the podium and help the country clinch its fourth gold medal in the ongoing sporting extravaganza. This was the second gold medal for India in shooting in these Games.
The sensational Manu also topped the qualification after finishing the last rapid-fire series with 98.
The Chinese bagged the silver medal with 1756, while the shooters from South Korea settled for the third position with a total score of 1742.
They claimed the top prize minutes after another trio of Indian shooters dished out an excellent performance to win a silver medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 position event. Ashi Chouksey, Manini Koushik and Sift Kaur Samra combined to shoot a total of 1764 points in the qualification to finish second on the podium.
Hosts China won the gold with an aggregate score of 1773, while South Korea bagged the bronze with a total score of 1756.
In the women’s 25m pistol, Manu (590) topped the qualification round, Esha (586) finishes fifth. Rhythm (583) ended seventh but since only two shooters per country are allowed in the final, she missed the cut.
Manu, especially, was at the top of her game as she shot nine 10s and 1 nine to get a total of 99 and maintain her hegemony in the qualification. The Youth Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion started with a brilliant 99/100 in her first rapid series to signal her intention.
PM Modi lauds stellar performance of Women in shooting
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded India’s women shooters for their stellar performances at the Hangzhou Asian Games. The women shooters secured two gold, two silver, and one bronze for India on Wednesday. PM Modi congratulated the 25m Pistol women’s team for winning gold and the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women’s Team for their silver medal win. He wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, ‘An exemplary Gold for India. Congratulations to the 25m Pistol Women Team, comprising @realmanubhaker, @SangwanRhythm, and Esha Singh, for their spectacular victory! Their remarkable teamwork has yielded great results. Best wishes for their future endeavors.’ ‘Our dedicated and talented 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women’s Team has clinched a well-deserved Silver Medal in the Asian Games. They have demonstrated extraordinary talent. Congratulations to Sift Kaur Samra, Ashi Chouksey, and Manini Kaushik,’ PM Modi wrote. Link to tweet”
