Manu, Esha lead India’s charge on opening day of Asian Shooting c’ships

All eyes will be on Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and rising star Esha Singh as pistol shooters kick off competition at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges here on Wednesday, with medals on offer in the 10m air pistol events on the opening day of the Asian Championship Rifle/Pistol.

Manu and Esha headline a formidable Indian women’s line-up that will look to give the hosts an early advantage in the continental showpiece.

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Manu, one of India’s most decorated pistol shooters and a proven performer on the biggest stages, returns to competition on home soil, while Esha continues to build on her reputation as one of the country’s most consistent finalists at major international events.

India will face stiff competition from Ho Ching Shing of Hong Kong, the world No. 4 and reigning world silver medallist, who has reached the Asian Championship final four times, including a silver medal finish in 2019. Cheng Yen-Ching of Chinese Taipei, ranked 16th in the world, could emerge as a dark horse after a promising debut season that included a fifth-place finish at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. Vietnam’s Thu Vinh Trinh, a two-time Asian bronze medallist and two-time Olympic finalist, further strengthens the women’s field.

Four finals are scheduled on the opening day, featuring senior men’s and women’s events along with the junior and youth men’s finals.

In the men’s competition, World Champion Samrat Rana will lead the Indian challenge alongside world No. 2 Varun Tomar and Sharvan Kumar, who finished 12th at the World Championship. They will be challenged by Kazakhstan’s Valeriy Rakhimzhan, Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Hsiang-Chen, and Uzbekistan’s Mukhammad Kamalov.

Junior and youth shooters will also take centre stage, with India fielding a strong contingent across categories as the hosts look to make an impact throughout the championship.

India entered the largest squad of the competition with 118 athletes, followed by Kazakhstan with 35. Strong teams from Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and Hong Kong are also expected to challenge for top honours.