India’s ace shooter Anish Bhanwala once again proved why he is the country’s best in rapid fire pistol. The 22-year-old Olympian held his nerve under pressure to win silver in the 25m rapid fire pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships on Wednesday.
It was a nail-biting finish. Anish ended with 35 points, just one short of gold medalist Su Lianbofan of China (36). Korea’s Lee Jaekyoon settled for bronze.
The turning point?
Anish had a one-point lead after the first four series, but a missed shot in the final stages cost him the top spot. Still, the Haryana shooter showed grit, upgrading his bronze from 2023 Changwon Asian Championships to silver this time.
The journey to the final:
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In the precision round on Tuesday, Anish was sixth with 290.
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In Wednesday’s rapid fire round, he bounced back with a superb 293, finishing fourth overall with 583 points.
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Entering the six-man final, Anish led 18-17 against Su Lianbofan, but the Chinese shooter’s consistency edged him out in the closing rounds.
This medal adds to Anish’s growing reputation after his 2018 Commonwealth Games gold.
Team Events: More Medals for India
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Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Team (Anish, Adarsh Singh, Neeraj Kumar): Silver with 1738 points. South Korea took gold with 1748.
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Men’s 50m Pistol Team (Amanpreet Singh, Yogesh Kumar, Ravinder Singh): Silver with 1633 points. Iran grabbed gold (1652). Yogesh finished 4th individually.
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Mixed Trap Team (Kynan Chenai & Aashima Ahlawat): Lost bronze to Kazakhstan 34-38. China won gold over Kuwait.
Juniors Deliver Too
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Men’s 50m Pistol Junior Team (Abhinav Choudhary, Umesh Choudhary, Mukesh Nelavalli): Gold with 1593 points, beating Kazakhstan (1580).
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In the individual, Abhinav finished 4th.
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In Trap Mixed Team (Arya Vansh Tyagi & Bhavya Tripathi): Silver after a close 37-38 loss to Kazakhstan.
Medal Tally So Far
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China: 27 medals (15 gold)
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India: 23 medals (9 gold)
Another reminder that Indian shooting is on the rise, and youngsters like Anish Bhanwala are carrying forward the momentum with world-class performances.
