New Delhi: Olympic Medalist I beg you Will compete in the next two events. Asian Games After being named in India’s 30-member shooting squad announced by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Thursday.The Asian Games will be held in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, with India aiming to build on its strong showing in the previous edition in Hangzhou.Manu secured her place in the women’s 25m pistol event by finishing second in the selection trials. She was also included in the women’s 10m air pistol event despite finishing seventh at the latest trials, with selectors favoring her experience and ability to perform on the biggest stages.Apart from Manu, three other shooters have been selected for the two events – Vinod of Vidras (Women’s 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 positions), former world champion Rudrankish Patil (Men’s 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 positions), and Esha Singh (PM 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 positions).A notable decision by the NRAI was to field only one shooter, Anish Bhanwala, in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event. While most events will feature three Indian shooters for both individual and team medals, the federation decided against filling all available slots in rapid fire pistol.“While all the selected athletes have successfully cleared the stringent eligibility slots set by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the final roster is at 30 athletes (15 men and 15 women) due to the strict dynamic quota caps imposed by the Games Organizing Committee,” an NRAI statement said.Sports ministry guidelines state that only athletes with realistic medal prospects should be selected for the Asian Games.The NRAI statement added, “After extensive deliberations and a detailed event-wise review, the committee has identified a select group of athletes capable of competing in multiple disciplines. This strategic approach enables India to maximize participation in all available events while maintaining the strongest possible medal chances in both individual and team events.”NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh said that the federation has selected the strongest possible squad.“We have selected the best team,” Singh told PTI.“The most important decision was in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event, where we chose not to send a full team. We are only targeting the individual medal event as we could not identify enough shooters with realistic medal chances to field a team,” he said.Explaining Manu’s inclusion in the two events, Singh added: “We could only select 30 shooters — 15 men and 15 women. Yes, Manu is currently ranked seventh after the 10m Air Pistol Trials, but given her experience and ability to perform in the finals, she was the best option for inclusion in both the 10m and 25m Pistol events.”“His (Manu’s) ranking may be seventh in 10m air pistol, but the score difference between him and the one above him is not significant,” he said.The squad was finalized during the selection committee meeting in Dehradun on 8 June.NRAI president Kalish Singh Dev said the depth of talent in Indian shooting made the selection process particularly challenging.“Given the extraordinary depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting today, it was a difficult task to select this team. The final squad reflects the strength, depth and versatility of Indian shooting. We are confident that this team will represent India with distinction and do the nation proud in Aichi-Nagoya.”squad: Rifle (Men) — 10m Air Rifle: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankash Patil. 50m Rifle 3 Positions: Ishwari Pratap Singh Tomar, Neeraj Kumar, Rudrankash Patil. (Women) 10m Air Rifle: Elavinal Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vadarsa K Vinod. 50m Rifle 3 Positions: Ashi Choksi, Vidarasa K Vinod, Talutama Sen. (10m Air Rifle Mixed Team) Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavinal Valarion.Pistol (Men) — 10m Air Pistol: Kedarling B. Ochaganwe, Gaurav, Kamaljit. 25m Rapid Fire: Anish Bhanwala. (Women) 10m Air Pistol: Saruchi, Isha Singh, Manu Bhakar. 25m Sports Pistol: Isha Singh, Manu Bhakar, Rahi Sarnobat. (10m Air Pistol Mixed Team) Kedarling B. Ochaganwe and Suruchi.Shotgun: (Male) — Nets: Kanan Chinnai, Ahur Rizvi, Shapat Bhardwaj. (Women) Niru, Manisha Kher, Ashima Ahlot. Skate (Male) Anantjit Singh Naruka, Bhavtigh Singh Gul, Miraj Ahmad Khan. (Women) Parinaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan.
