Olympian and former world championship silver medallist Anish Bhanwala added another continental medal to his growing collection, clinching bronze in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
On a day when Kazakhstan asserted its dominance with four gold medals, India still managed to strengthen its position at the top of the medal standings through key performances across senior and junior events.
Bhanwala’s bronze marked his third medal at the Asian Championships and came after a tense and high-quality final. He qualified seventh with a score of 574, while compatriot Adarsh Singh secured the eighth spot with 573, ensuring two Indian shooters in the eight-man final. Kazakhstan’s Nikita Chiryukin, a former champion, topped qualification with 582 and led a strong Kazakh presence into the medal round.
The final unfolded over eight series of five rapid-fire shots, testing both precision and composure under strict time constraints. Japan’s Dai Yoshioka, a two-time Olympian and World Cup gold medallist, set an early pace alongside Bhanwala and Chiryukin. After the first few elimination rounds, the field narrowed quickly, with Vietnam’s Vu Tien Nam and Kazakhstan’s Artemiy Kabakov exiting after the third series.
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Adarsh bowed out after the fourth series with 11 hits, but Bhanwala continued to stay in contention. By the end of the sixth series, he was locked in a three-way tie for the lead with Yoshioka and Chiryukin on 21 hits, underlining the razor-thin margins at the elite level.
The decisive moment came in the seventh series. While Yoshioka delivered a flawless five and Chiryukin added four, Bhanwala managed only two hits, which effectively settled the medal positions. The Indian finished with 23 hits to secure bronze, repeating the same result he achieved at the 2023 Asian Championships in Changwon. Yoshioka went on to seal gold with another perfect series, finishing on 31 hits a new world and Asian record while Chiryukin took silver with 28.
Despite missing out on a higher podium finish, Bhanwala’s consistency in major finals continues to underline his stature as one of Asia’s most reliable rapid-fire specialists.
Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan’s Islam Satpayev produced a commanding display in the non-Olympic but widely contested 50m rifle prone men’s event. The Paris Olympic bronze medallist in mixed team competition claimed individual gold with 622.5, while his compatriot Nikita Shakhtorin matched that score but settled for silver. Konstantin Malinovsky added to the Kazakh medal haul, and the trio combined to secure team gold.
India’s Babu Singh Panwar delivered a strong 621.3 to earn individual bronze in the event. He then teamed up with Samarvir Singh (618.2) and Sartaj Singh Tiwana (614.4) to win team silver, finishing behind Kazakhstan but ahead of the rest of the field.
In the junior men’s 50m rifle prone competition, Adriyan Karmakar ensured India’s gold tally kept pace. Shooting 621.7 over 60 shots, Karmakar edged out Kazakhstan’s Oleg Noskov (620.6) and Tamerlan Kabulov (617.3) to secure the top spot. However, Kazakhstan reversed the outcome in the team standings, taking gold with a combined 1848.7 narrowly ahead of India’s 1847.6 highlighting the depth of competition between the two shooting powerhouses.
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The final event of the day, the junior men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol, delivered further drama. Indonesia’s Muhamad Fawwaz Aditia Farrel won gold with 29 hits in the final, setting a new world and Asian junior record. India’s Suraj Sharma took silver with 23, while Mukesh Nelavalli claimed bronze with 19.
India, however, secured team gold in the junior rapid-fire event. Suraj (582) and Mukesh (572) combined with Sahil Choudhary (575) to post a qualification total of 1729, comfortably ahead of Kazakhstan’s 1613.
At the end of Day Eight, India’s medal tally stood at 41 gold, 19 silver and 15 bronze medals, maintaining a clear lead in the overall standings with two days of competition remaining. Kazakhstan’s surge, particularly in rifle events, has added an extra layer of rivalry to the championship, setting up a compelling finish.
With finals continuing to be streamed live on the Fancode platform, the closing stages of the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship promise further high-calibre contests as shooters fine-tune their preparations ahead of a packed international season.
