Hangzhou, September 30, 2023 – India’s remarkable run in shooting continued at the Asian Games as Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS celebrated Sarabjot’s birthday by winning the silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. This achievement added to India’s impressive tally of 19 medals in the discipline, comprising six gold, eight silver, and five bronze, marking their best-ever performance in the continental event.
The Indian duo displayed exceptional skills throughout the competition, narrowly missing out on the gold medal, which went to world champion marksman Zhang Bowen and his compatriot Jiang Ranxin. The gold was decided in a tense shoot-off, with Zhang and Jiang emerging victorious with a score of 16-14.
Sarabjot, who had previously secured the men’s 10m air pistol team gold alongside Arjun Singh Cheema and Shiva Narwal, appeared poised to bring India its seventh gold in the mixed team event, partnering with Divya. However, a few subpar shots during the latter stages of the shoot-off dashed their hopes, despite their strong performance in the qualification round.
India started the finals with a commanding lead, holding an 11-7 advantage until the ninth series of shots. Nevertheless, the experienced Chinese shooters staged a remarkable comeback, leveling the score at 11-all and then at 14-all. Jiang Ranxin ultimately sealed the victory with a superb score of 10.7, while Zhang Bowen contributed with 10.3, leaving no room for the Indian pair to catch up.
Sarabjot Singh, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on the same day, recorded a score of 10.5 in the final shot, while Divya TS struggled with a score of 9.9, which ultimately determined the outcome on the 15th shot.
During the qualification round, Sarabjot amassed a score of 291, while Divya contributed 286 points, resulting in a combined score of 577 that placed them as the top team, ahead of China with 576 points.
In the mixed team 10m air pistol event, only the top two teams from the qualification round advance to the shoot-off for the gold medal, while the teams ranked from No. 3 to No. 6 compete for two bronze medals.
In the battle for bronze, the South Korean pair of Lee Wonho and Kim Bomi secured a 16-8 victory over the Japanese duo of Morikawa Seiji and Yamada Satoko. Meanwhile, Iranian shooters Amir Joharikhou and Haniyeh Rostamiyan claimed the second bronze by defeating the Pakistani pair of Joseph Gulfam and Talat Kishmala with a score of 16-14.
As India continues to shine in shooting on the Asian Games stage, Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS’s impressive silver medal performance is a testament to the nation’s growing prowess in this sport.
