Anantjeet and Parinaaz Win Historic Asian Games Skeet Bronze

Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal won a historic bronze medal for India in the skeet mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026, delivering the country’s first-ever medal in the discipline at the continental Games.

The pair finished third after a tense four-team final contested in intermittent gusts, completing a three-medal burst for Indian skeet across two days. Their result also completed India’s sweep of the three skeet team events at these Games, marking an unprecedented haul for a discipline that has often been overshadowed by trap and double trap.

Qualification fight sets up dramatic medal round

Naruka and Dhaliwal entered the final in fourth position after posting 138 in qualification. Naruka hit 70 of his 75 targets, while Dhaliwal contributed 68. Qatar led the qualification standings on 145, followed by South Korea with 143 and China with 140.

Those qualification totals did not carry into the medal round, however, as all four teams began the final from scratch. The medals were decided through elimination rounds, putting added emphasis on every target missed.

India made a composed opening, hitting 21 of 24 targets. China began with 23, while South Korea posted 22. Qatar, despite leading the qualification stage, became the first team eliminated after Rashed Saleh and Reema Ghanem struggled during their opening 12 shots each.

Qatar’s exit guaranteed India at least a bronze medal and kept Naruka and Dhaliwal in contention for a higher finish. The next sequence became more difficult as gusts moved across the range. India responded by missing only once, through Naruka, for a 23-from-24 round that lifted their aggregate to 44.

That total secured the bronze medal, although it was not enough to keep the Indian pair in the contest for gold. China claimed gold with 52, South Korea took silver on 51 and India finished with 44.

For Dhaliwal, the result was her second bronze medal of the Asian Games campaign after she had also been part of the women’s team medal-winning effort on Wednesday. The 24-year-old said the pair maintained an aggressive approach and continued to encourage one another through the pressure of the final.

“We were aggressive. We just kept telling each other to keep fighting. That’s what mixed team is about,” Dhaliwal said.

Bronze carries special significance for Naruka

The medal held particular weight for 28-year-old Naruka, who had previously won a World Cup Final bronze in Delhi and had finished fourth alongside Maheshwari Chauhan in the mixed team event at Paris 2024. He placed the Asian Games bronze above those earlier achievements because it brought a podium finish.

“This one ranks highest. In the Olympics you are coming fourth, but if you’re not standing on the podium it does not matter. We fought well and got the bronze today,” Naruka said.

Elsewhere, India’s men’s 10m air pistol team did not reach the final in either the team or individual events. Kamaljeet came closest, finishing ninth with 580, one point short of the qualification mark. Aakash Bhardwaj was 11th after shooting 579, while Kedarling Uchaganve finished 35th with 568.

India’s combined team score of 1727 placed them fourth. Japan took the bronze-medal position with 1730 after moving ahead late in the competition.