Manu Bhaker finished fifth in the women’s 10m air pistol individual final at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, September 23. The Indian shooter entered the medal round after an impressive qualification performance but could not convert her place in the final into a podium finish.
Bhaker qualified third for the eight shooter final with a score of 579 points and 20 inner tens. Her qualification performance placed her behind South Korea’s Choo Gaeun and China’s Jiang Ranxin and gave India a strong medal contender in the final.
The final proved to be a closely contested competition. Bhaker began with a score of 50.8 in the opening series and moved to 100.3 after the first two series. She remained within the group competing for the medals as the elimination stages began.
After the first stage of eliminations, Bhaker had a score of 120.4. She was initially outside the leading medal positions but remained close enough to continue her challenge. A strong 10.8 shot later helped her move back into fifth place and keep her medal hopes alive.
Bhaker continued to compete through the next stages of the final. At one point, she moved into third position after 17 shots, bringing her within the medal places. The position, however, was temporary as the competition tightened among the remaining shooters.
Her 18th shot was a 9.6. That score left her with a final total of 181.1 and resulted in her elimination in fifth position. Four shooters remained in contention for the medals after Bhaker exited the competition.
South Korea’s Choo Gaeun eventually won the gold medal with 246.3 points, setting a new Asian Games record. China’s Shen Yiyao secured the silver medal with 241.3, while her compatriot Jiang Ranxin took bronze with 221.6. Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Yen Ching finished fourth with 200.7, just ahead of Bhaker.
Bhaker was the only Indian shooter to reach the individual final in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Her teammates Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh were unable to qualify for the medal round. Esha finished 15th in qualification with 572 points and 12 inner tens, while Suruchi finished 26th with 568 points and 12 inner tens.
India also narrowly missed a medal in the women’s 10m air pistol team event. Bhaker, Esha and Suruchi combined for 1,719 points and 44 inner tens. Vietnam also finished with 1,719 points, but its 46 inner tens gave it the bronze medal. China won gold with 1,735 points and 56 inner tens, while South Korea took silver with 1,730 points and 55 inner tens.
The result means India did not repeat its strong performance from the previous Asian Games in the women’s 10m air pistol competition. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Palak Gulia won individual gold and Esha Singh claimed silver, while India also won silver in the team event.
For Bhaker, the fifth place finish ends her individual 10m air pistol campaign at Aichi Nagoya without a medal. However, she still has another opportunity in the shooting competition. She is scheduled to compete in the women’s 25m pistol event, where she is the defending Asian Games champion.
Bhaker arrives at the 2026 Asian Games with significant international experience. She is a double Olympic medallist from the Paris 2024 Games, where she won an individual bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol and another bronze in the mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh. Her performance at Aichi Nagoya was therefore closely followed as she competed in her first Asian Games appearance since the 2022 edition.
Although she did not reach the podium in the 10m air pistol event, Bhaker demonstrated her ability to remain in contention during a competitive final. Her qualification score of 579 placed her third among the finalists, and she briefly moved into a medal position during the elimination rounds.
The Indian shooting campaign has nevertheless produced several medals at Aichi Nagoya. On the same day, India won bronze medals in both the women’s and men’s skeet team events. Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan won the women’s skeet team bronze, while Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill secured bronze in the men’s skeet team competition.
Naruka also qualified for the men’s skeet individual final, giving India another opportunity in shooting. The results have added to India’s medal tally while Bhaker’s 10m air pistol campaign has concluded.
The fifth place finish is therefore one part of India’s wider shooting campaign at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games. Bhaker’s next appearance in the 25m pistol competition will provide another opportunity for the Indian shooter to compete for a medal.
For now, the official result remains clear. Manu Bhaker finished fifth in the women’s 10m air pistol final with 181.1 points after qualifying third with 579-20x. Choo Gaeun won gold, Shen Yiyao took silver and Jiang Ranxin claimed bronze.