Industry Odisha Bureau, Sept 25: A last-minute change in India’s 10m air pistol mixed team pairing produced a gold medal finish at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh dominated the event on Friday.
The Indian duo won the mixed team gold with 484.6 points. They finished 6.6 points ahead of South Korea’s Suhyeon Hong and Gaeun Choo, who secured silver with 478.0. Iran took bronze with 415.9 points. It is noteworthy that India’s performance also set a new Asian Games record.
The medal was India’s first gold in shooting at the 2026 Asian Games and the country’s second gold overall, following the women’s cricket team’s title. It also ended a disappointing campaign for India in the 10m air pistol events.
Before the mixed team competition, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) made a late change to the men’s pairing with Suruchi. Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve had initially been selected, but it was Kamaljeet who was brought into the team after Thursday’s men’s qualification.
Kamaljeet had finished ninth with 580 points. Notably, he missed the individual final by one point and emerged as India’s best performer in the qualification round. Kedarling finished 35th with 568 points.
The new pairing immediately delivered. Kamaljeet and Suruchi topped the mixed team qualification with 587 points. They scored 196 in the first series, 195 in the second and another 196 in the third.
In the final, the Indian pair maintained their advantage and pulled clear of the field to secure gold.
