Aichi-Nagoya, 24 September (H.S.): Indian shooters Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal won the bronze medal in the mixed team skeet event at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, taking India’s medal tally to 15. It was India’s first-ever medal in the mixed team skeet event at the Asian Games. The Indian pair scored 44 points after six series in the final.

China won the gold medal with 52 points, setting a new world record, while South Korea claimed silver with 51 points. China surpassed the previous world record of 47 points set by Qatar in January.

Anantjeet and Parinaaz had finished fourth in the qualification round with a score of 138/150. China, South Korea and Qatar had finished ahead of them with scores of 140, 143 and 145, respectively. The Indian pair subsequently secured bronze in the final.

Both Anantjeet and Parinaaz had already won medals in their respective team events at these Asian Games. Anantjeet contributed to India’s bronze in the men’s skeet team event, while Parinaaz won bronze in the women’s skeet team event alongside Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan.

With this medal, India’s tally stands at one gold, six silver and eight bronze medals, taking the overall count to 15. It is India’s eighth medal in shooting at these Games, comprising four silver and four bronze medals.

Earlier, India missed out on a medal in the men’s 10m air pistol team event. The Indian trio of Kamaljeet, Kedarlings Balakrishna and Akash Bhardwaj finished fourth with a score of 1,727-53x. China and Indonesia shared the top spot with 1,743 points, while Japan finished third with 1,730 points.

Anantjeet Singh Naruka, a shooter from Jaipur, represents India in the men’s skeet and mixed team skeet events. He began shooting in 2012 at the age of 14. His major achievements include a silver medal in the men’s skeet and a bronze in the team event at the 2022 Asian Games, gold at the 2025 Asian Shotgun Championship and bronze at the 2024 ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi. He has received financial assistance of Rs 43,24,334 under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Rs 36,17,226 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC).

Parinaaz Dhaliwal, a shooter from Patiala, competes in women’s skeet, team skeet and mixed team skeet. She began shooting in 2015. Her major international achievements include a silver medal in the women’s skeet team event at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi and bronze at the 2022 ISSF Junior World Cup. She has received financial assistance of Rs 15,53,046 under the ACTC.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar