Manu Bhaker to headline India’s 30-member shooting squad at Aichi‑Nagoya Asian Games
Manu Bhaker, a two-time Olympic medallist, will headline India’s 30-member shooting contingent at the Asian Games in Aichi‑Nagoya, Japan, which run from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Shooting competition opens on September 20 and Bhaker is entered in four events at the Games.
Indian shooters returned from Hangzhou 2022 with seven gold, nine silver and six bronze medals, and "there will be high hopes that the squad can replicate that impressive performance in Aichi‑Nagoya." Bhaker, 24, is listed among India’s leading medal contenders after winning two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics — one in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event and another in the mixed team competition.
At the 20th Asian Games Bhaker will contest four pistol events: the individual and team competitions in the women’s 10m air pistol and the 25m pistol. She is already an Asian Games medallist, having been part of the women’s team that won gold in the 25m pistol at Hangzhou 2022. Those credentials form part of the rationale for her selection as the headliner of India’s shooting delegation.
Bhaker’s major international titles also include gold in the women’s 10m air pistol at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Her Paris 2024 Olympic bronzes were achieved in two different formats — an individual event and a mixed-team competition — underscoring her experience across both solo and pair formats. Those results contribute to expectations about her prospects in Aichi‑Nagoya.
India’s shooting contingent will aim to build on its Hangzhou haul across the events scheduled at Aichi‑Nagoya. Bhaker’s programme spans both precision (10m) and rapid-fire (25m) pistol disciplines, reflecting the events in which she has previously medalled at multi-sport championships.
Shooting events at the Asian Games begin on September 20, with Bhaker among India’s entries across the four pistol events scheduled during the Games that run from September 19 to October 4.