Manu Bhaker apologises after missing out on 10m air pistol medals at Asian Games 2026

India’s shooter Manu Bhaker said she was "really sorry" after failing to secure medals in both the women’s 10m air pistol team and individual events at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday. The Indian trio finished fourth in the team final and Bhaker placed fifth in the individual final.

Bhaker competed in the women’s 10m air pistol team event alongside Esha Singh and Suruchi Singh, with the team finishing fourth and missing the podium. In the individual competition Bhaker qualified third with a score of 579-20x but ended the final in fifth place with a score of 181.1. She is a two-time Olympic bronze medallist and has one Asian Games gold from the women’s 25m pistol team event at Hangzhou 2022.

India’s pistol and High-Performance coach Ronak Pandit publicly criticised the result, calling Bhaker’s final performance "unpardonable".

Speaking to the official broadcasters after her individual final, Bhaker expressed regret and described the qualification and final as challenging: "The qualifications were a challenge. I was really positive, but also I was very nervous. But I am really sorry that I was not able to make it to the podium today," she told Sony. "For the final, also, I genuinely tried my best. I was trying every shot every time, and it didn’t work out (well) enough to win a medal today."

Bhaker also reflected on progress in the 10m event in the same interview, saying: "I genuinely feel that I have improved a lot in terms of my 10 metre performances. In qualification as well as in the final, I feel that there have been significant improvements, and I really hope that I can keep improving every time and in every competition so that the final results are better."

She paid tribute to her long-time coach Jaspal Rana, who died at the age of 49 in June 2026 after suffering cardiac complications; the pair had worked together for almost six years, including during Bhaker’s double medal-winning performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. "It is devastating (losing Jaspal Rana). He was the Asian champion who was the best of the best in the Asian Games. So we were really looking forward to Japan," Bhaker said. "I think the beautiful part of life is that you appreciate who you still have, the people who are with me and support me every single day. I’m really grateful and thankful for that, and I am always looking at the positive side."

Bhaker’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games continues: she will compete with Esha Singh in the women’s 25m pistol event, while Suruchi Singh is scheduled to return for the 10m air pistol mixed team competition. She will next be in action in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Asian Games 2026.