Shymkent (Kazakhstan), August 18 – Kapil Bainsla from Palwal, Haryana, scripted history by clinching India’s first gold medal at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun. Competing in the men’s junior 10m air pistol final, Kapil produced a brilliant 243.0, edging out Uzbekistan’s Ilkhombek Obidjonov by 0.6 points. India’s Jonathan Gavin Antony added to the tally with bronze, scoring 220.7 before bowing out after the 22nd shot of the 24-shot final.
Kapil had earlier shot 579 to finish fourth in qualification, while Jonathan placed second with 582. Mukesh Nelavali narrowly missed out on second place, settling for third on count of inner 10s, making it three Indians in the top eight. Korea’s Kim Dooyeon topped qualification with 582, thanks to six more inner 10s than Jonathan.
In the final, Obidjonov led strongly from the start, keeping Kapil on the chase. The Indian overtook him briefly after the 15th shot, but the Uzbek regained the lead after the 20th. Heading into the last two attempts, Obidjonov was a full point ahead. Kapil, however, held his nerve, firing a stunning 10.8 followed by 10.6. Obidjonov faltered with a 9.4 on his final shot, handing the gold to Kapil.
The medal rush continued as Kapil and Jonathan, alongside Vijay Tomar, secured the team silver with a combined 1,723. Korea clinched the gold with 1,734 while hosts Kazakhstan settled for bronze.
In the senior men’s category, India’s Anmol Jain reached the final but finished sixth with 155.1. China’s Hu Kai won gold, and China also took the team title. Anmol, together with Aditya Malra and Saurabh Chaudhary, ensured another silver for India with a total of 1,735.
India wrapped up the opening day with one gold and two silvers. Day two will see the women’s and junior women’s air pistol events take center stage.
Kapil Bainsla Strikes Gold as India Shines on Day One of Asian Shooting Championship
0 Comments 
