Naruka and Parinaaz secure mixed skeet bronze as pistol team fail to reach finals at Aichi range
Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal won bronze in the mixed team skeet at the Asian Games at the Aichi General Shooting Range in Toyota, Japan on Thursday, September 24, 2026, while India’s men’s 10m air pistol contingent missed the finals and left without a team medal.
The shotgun pair’s podium marked India’s first-ever medal in the mixed team skeet event at the Asian Games and provided the nation’s only shooting medal on the day; the country remains without a gold in the sport at this edition. Naruka had narrowly missed an individual medal the previous day, and the mixed team result came after qualification and a tight final. The pistol squad, which had taken team gold at the previous edition, failed to replicate that form in Toyota.
In men’s 10m air pistol qualification, Kamaljeet finished ninth with a total of 580 points, one short of the final cutoff, after registering a perfect 100 in his third series but following it with rounds of 94 and 93 that derailed his chances. Aakash Bhardwaj shot 579 to place 11th, while Kedarling Uchaganve managed 568 and ended 35th. None of the three advanced to the individual final and the trio were unable to secure a team podium.
India’s combined team total of 1727 fell short of Japan, who posted 1730 to claim third place; Uchaganve’s final series of 92 allowed the hosts to move ahead and complete the podium. The men’s team therefore finished outside the medals despite the earlier gold at the last Asian Games. Kamaljeet’s near-miss was the closest India came to an individual pistol final on the day.
In mixed team skeet qualification Naruka and Parinaaz began with a 44 in the opening round, then recorded 47 in each of the next two series to finish on 138 and advance to the final one point clear of Kuwait. Their path to the final contrasted with the pistol shooters’ earlier struggles at the same venue. The pair’s recovery in later rounds set up a short, decisive final.
The final itself was close: India and Korea both shot 44 points, but Korea placed ahead by virtue of their higher qualifying position. “We had a difficult start: both of us didn’t shoot well in the first round but we told each other that we can still get it. We wanted to fight till the last target and that’s what we did,” Naruka said. “We both are aggressive and rhythmic shooters, so it just works quite well. He is shooting ahead of me, so I see that and it gives me that recall,” Parinaaz said.
The pistol squad made a personnel change for the mixed team event, with Kamaljeet replacing Uchaganve to partner Suruchi Phogat. “The Federation has finalised the composition for the mixed pistol team event following a review of performances over the past few months, including the Asian Games preparation camps and the recent World Cup. The final composition takes into account current form, overall performance data and the specific requirements of the event, with a view to achieving the best possible performance for India,” High Performance Director Pierre Beauchamp said.