India’s shooting stars have landed in Kazakhstan, ready to fire on all cylinders at the Asian Shooting Championship 2025, which kicks off Saturday at the Shymkent Shooting Plaza and runs through August 30. With 734 shooters from 28 nations vying for top honours, all eyes will be on India’s formidable 164-member contingent — the largest at this year’s competition.
At the helm of India’s campaign is none other than Manu Bhaker, fresh off her historic double-medal triumph at the Paris Olympics. She will compete in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol events, aiming to bounce back from a relatively quiet 2025 season that saw her pick up a silver at the Lima World Cup.
India’s contingent in Shymkent is brimming with experience and star power, featuring multiple Olympians and World Cup medallists poised to make a deep impact across rifle, pistol, and shotgun events.
Leading the charge in rifle events is Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, the defending champion in the Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions, aiming to retain his crown after a stellar 2023 campaign. Alongside him, Rudrankksh Patil, the 2022 World Champion, is expected to be a strong contender in the 10m Air Rifle, a discipline where he has consistently delivered on the global stage.
In the women’s rifle events, the duo of Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra brings both experience and recent form to the 50m Rifle Three Positions category. Moudgil, an Olympian and a former World Championship silver medallist, joins Samra, who has been a revelation with her record-breaking performances over the past year.
India’s pistol team is no less formidable. Saurabh Chaudhary, Asian Games gold medallist and multiple-time ISSF World Cup winner, will team up with Esha Singh, another World Cup champion, to lead India’s challenge in the 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol events.
In the shotgun disciplines, experienced names like Raiza Dhillon and Kynan Chenai will be key players in skeet and trap respectively. Both shooters bring continental and World Cup experience, and are expected to anchor India’s challenge in events that have seen growing Indian depth in recent years.
With proven performers across every discipline, India enters the championship as one of the most well-rounded teams in Asia, capable of contending for podium finishes in virtually every category.
Flashback to 2023 Asian Shooting Championship:
India had a successful outing at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championship in Korea, finishing third overall with 19 medals – 6 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze. Manu Bhaker was part of the silver-medal-winning 25m Pistol Team, while Tomar and Chenai also returned home with medals.
This year, the squad looks even stronger, with seasoned experience and young talent creating a balanced lineup across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines.
Explore the full Indian Shooting Squad:
Men’s 10m Air Rifle: Arjun Babuta, Kiran Ankush Jadhav, Parth Rakesh Mane, Smit Moradiya, Rudrankksh Patil, Akhil Sheoran, Chain Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.
Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions: Babu Singh Panwar, Kiran Ankush Jadhav, Akhil Sheoran, Chain Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.
Men’s 50m Rifle Prone: Goldi Gurjar, Akash Kumar Ravidas, Samarvir Singh, Surya Deep Singh.
Men’s 10m Air Pistol: Anmol Jain, Aditya Malra, Amit Sharma, Saurabh Chaudhary, Varun Tomar.
Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol: Anish Anish, Neeraj Kumar, Bhavesh Shekhawat, Pradeep Singh Shekhawat, Adarsh Singh.
Men’s 25m Standard Pistol: Amanpreet Singh, Harsh Gupta, Udhayveer Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh.
Men’s 25m Centre Fire Pistol: Amanpreet Singh, Ankur Goel, Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu, Gurgaven Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh.
Men’s 50m Pistol: Ram Babu, Amanpreet Singh, Vikram Jagannath Shinde, Ravinder Singh, Yogesh Kumar.
Men’s Trap: Kynan Chenai, Lakshay Lakshay, Vivaan Kapoor, Bhowneesh Mendiratta, Fahd Sultan.
Men’s Skeet: Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, Abhay Singh Sekhon.
Men’s Double Trap: Harshvardhan Kaviya, Ankur Mittal, Shaikh Mohsin, Bhanu Pratap Singh.
Women”s 10m Air Rifle: Mehuli Ghosh, Arya Borse, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Anjum Moudgil, Ananya Naidu, Elavenil Valarivan.
Women’s 50m Rifle Three Positions: Aadhya Agrawal, Ashi Chouksey, Mehuli Ghosh, Anjum Moudgil, Shriyanka Sadangi, Sift Kaur Samra.
Women’s 50m Rifle Prone: Manini Kaushik, Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod, Sift Kaur Samra, Surabhi Bharadwaj Rapole, Tejaswini Sawant.
Women’s 10m Air Pistol: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, Palak Gulia, Surbhi Rao, Suruchi Singh.
Women’s 25m Pistol: Manu Bhaker, Simranpreet Kaur Brar, Abhidnya Ashok Patil, Rahi Sarnobat, Esha Singh.
Women’s Trap: Aashima Ahlawat, Neeru Dhanda, Preeti Rajak.
Women’s Skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon, Rashmmi Rathore, Ganemat Sekhon.
Women’s Double Trap: Anushka Singh Bhati, Yeshaya Hafiz Contractor, Rajkuwar Pranil Ingle.
Mixed 10m Air Rifle: Arjun Babuta, Mehuli Ghosh, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Elavenil Valarivan.
Mixed 10m Air Pistol: Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker, Aditya Malra, Palak Gulia, Suruchi Singh.
Mixed Trap: Kynan Chenai, Lakshay Lakshay, Aashima Ahlawat, Neeru Dhanda.