Asian Games: Sift Samra Steals Show With Gold As Indian Shooters Dominate

The young Sift Kaur Samra stole the show with a gold medal in the women's 25m rifle 3 position event as Indian shooters set the range ablaze by securing as many as six medals at the Asian Games on Wednesday. In the same event, Ashi Chouksey, who was in contention for a silver, settled for the bronze with a score of 451.9, while Esha Singh claimed silver in the women's 25m pistol event with a total of 34. On her way to silver, Esha upstaged her senior Manu Bhaker who finished a disappointing fifth after topping the qualification.

Samra produced some excellent shooting to claim the yellow mettle with a world and games record score of 469.6.

Earlier, the triumvirate of Manu Bhaker, Esha and Rhythm Sangwan fired in tandem to shoot the gold medal in the women's 25m pistol team event, as Indian shooters dominated proceedings at the Hangzhou Shooting Range Hall.

Manu, Esha and Rhythm totalled 1759 to finish on top of the podium and help the country clinch its fourth gold medal in the ongoing sporting extravaganza. This was the second gold medal for India in shooting in these Games.

Meanwhile, the Indian team of Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Gurjoat Khangura and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka bagged the team bronze medal in the men's skeet event.

The trio shot a total of 355 to settle for the third position. Hosts China won the gold medal while Qatar claimed the silver.

The Indian women's team, however, crashed out of the skeet event by finishing in the fourth position behind Kazakhstan, China and Thailand.

In the women's 3P event, host nation China's Qiongyue Zhang crashed what could have been an India one-two, by winning the silver with a score of 462.3.

Before her triumph in the final, Samra broke the Asian Games record in qualification