India’s Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team has broken the World Record to win the first gold medal for the nation in the ongoing Asian Games 2023.The team, consisting of Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, not only clinched India’s first gold medal of the games but also shattered the world record in the process.
The trio shot a total of 1893.7 points in the individual qualification round, surpassing the previous world record set by China at the Baku World Championship. South Korea finished in second place with 1890.1 points, while China came in third with a total score of 1888.2.Rudrankksh, who finished third in qualification, scored 631.6 points for the team. Aishwary registered 631.6 points while Divyansh scored 629.6 points for India.India not only finished with a gold medal in the team event, but all three shooters also qualified for the top-8 in the 10m Air Rifle event. However, as per the Asian Games rules, only two participants from each country can qualify for the final, which is why Rudrankksh and Aishwary advanced to the final, while Divyansh missed out.
The first series saw a slight slip-up from the Indian shooters, with Rudrankksh and Divyansh managing 104.8 each, while Aishwary scored 104.1. However, they quickly regained their footing, steadily improving their scores in the subsequent series. By the sixth series, the team had broken the world record, scoring an impressive 1893.7 points.This victory was particularly significant as it marked India’s first gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. It set the tone for the country’s performance at the games, with India wrapping up the first official day with five medals – three silver medals and two bronze medals.The women’s 10m air rifle team, featuring Ashi Chouksey, Mehuli Ghosh, and Ramita Jindal, also made their mark by securing India’s first medal at Hangzhou 2023, a silver in shooting.
