India finish fifth in women's 25m pistol team at Asian Games after Rahi Sarnobat’s zero
India finished fifth in the women’s 25m pistol team event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi–Nagoya on Monday, September 28, scoring 1727-56x and missing out on a medal. A zero scored by Rahi Sarnobat during the rapid stage proved decisive after India had been second following the precision stage.
After the precision stage India sat one point behind leaders China and looked competitive for a podium spot. The rapid stage gives shooters very little time for each shot; Rahi’s final shot of a five-shot rapid series hit the frame and was scored zero, leaving her series at 39 out of 50. The Indian team lodged an appeal, believing the scoring technology had not registered the shot properly, but Asian Games officials rejected the challenge, saying Rahi had fired before settling properly on the target.
Team totals are the sum of the three individual scores: Esha Singh shot 580-22x to finish eighth, Manu Bhaker scored 579-18x to finish 11th and Rahi Sarnobat recorded 568-16x to place 30th, combining for India’s 1727-56x. Rahi’s score was 12 points fewer than Esha’s and 11 fewer than Manu’s.
China won gold with 1743-68x, South Korea took silver with 1735-65x and Chinese Taipei earned bronze with 1734-48x; Vietnam was fourth on 1732-56x. India finished five points behind Vietnam, seven points behind the bronze-medal total, eight behind silver and 16 behind China.
If Rahi had matched Manu’s 579, India’s aggregate would have been 1738 and, on paper, would have exceeded South Korea’s 1735 to claim silver. Manu missed the individual final by three places; earlier at these Games she finished fifth in the 10m air pistol final.
India had won the 25m pistol team gold at Hangzhou 2022 with Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan, and Esha took individual bronze at that Games. In Aichi–Nagoya India finished fourth in both the men’s and women’s 10m air pistol team events, and the shooting contingent has collected medals in the 10m air rifle and the men’s and women’s skeet team events this Asiad.
Esha took the last place in the individual final, so India still has one more medal chance in this event.
