Aichi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal secured the bronze medal in the skeet mixed team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Thursday, earning the country its first-ever medal in the event at the continental Games.
The Indian pair finished with 44 hits from 48 shots, matching South Korea’s score. However, South Korea secured the silver on the tie-breaker after its qualifying score of 143 was higher than India’s 138. China won gold with 45 hits.
India made a strong start, recording seven hits from the opening eight shots. Naruka was perfect with four hits, while Dhaliwal missed one. China and South Korea both opened with eight hits.
Naruka and Dhaliwal remained in medal contention through the subsequent series, with Naruka producing three perfect rounds and Dhaliwal also putting together several clean sequences.
After 16 shots, India were level with South Korea on 14 hits, one point behind China’s perfect 16. Following the third series, India moved to 21 hits, three ahead of Qatar, while China and South Korea had 23 and 22 respectively. Qatar’s elimination guaranteed India at least a bronze.
The Indian duo continued to push for a higher finish. After 32 shots, China and South Korea were tied at 30, with India one hit behind at 29. With 40 shots completed, China and South Korea remained level on 38, while India had 36.
India produced a perfect eight hits in the final series to reach 44. South Korea also finished on 44 after Lee Jongjun missed twice while Jang Kookhee hit all four of her targets. China added five hits in the final series to finish on 45.
With India and South Korea tied, the tie-break criteria were applied, with South Korea taking silver because of its superior qualifying score. India consequently claimed bronze.
The medal adds to Naruka’s recent record in the event. He and Maheshwari Chauhan finished fourth in the skeet mixed team competition at the Paris Olympics. Naruka was also part of India’s mixed team that qualified fourth for the Asian Games final.
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