India’s Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal won the bronze medal in the mixed team skeet event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday, September 24. The Indian pair finished third after scoring 44 hits in the final, taking India’s overall medal tally at the Games to 15, including eight medals from shooting.
The duo had entered the medal round after finishing fourth in qualification with 138 hits out of 150, securing the final available spot. In the final, India and South Korea were tied on 44 hits after six series, but South Korea took silver based on the competition’s qualification-ranking tie-break, while India settled for bronze. China won gold after finishing ahead of both teams.
The medal is also significant for the Indian shooters individually, as both Naruka and Dhaliwal had already won bronze medals in their respective men’s and women’s skeet team events on Wednesday. The latest result gives each shooter a second medal at the ongoing Games. Officials had already congratulated both athletes for their earlier team-medal performances. President Droupadi Murmu praised India’s skeet shooters for their skill, determination and team spirit, while Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Naruka and his men’s team-mates and Dhaliwal and her women’s team-mates.
A Close Medal Finish
Naruka and Dhaliwal produced a steady performance throughout the mixed team final. The pair opened with seven hits and gradually built their score across the six series, moving through 14, 21, 29, 36 and finally 44. Their final score left them level with South Korea, making the closing stages particularly tight. According to reports, the Korean pair moved ahead for silver because their qualification score was higher than India’s.
India had entered the final with 138 hits, compared with South Korea’s 143, after finishing fourth in qualification. China finished ahead of the field to take gold, while Qatar, which had topped the qualification round with 145, did not sustain that position in the final and finished fourth. The bronze takes India’s shooting medal count to eight four silver and four bronze — during the Aichi-Nagoya Games. It also marks India’s first medal in the mixed team skeet event at the Asian Games.
The result builds on a particularly productive two days for India’s skeet contingent. On Wednesday, Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill won bronze in the men’s skeet team event, while Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan secured bronze in the women’s team event. The women’s medal was India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the women’s skeet team event. Naruka had also qualified for the men’s individual final but finished outside the medals.
Dhaliwal, meanwhile, was part of the women’s individual competition, where she did not reach the podium. Their mixed-team success therefore gave both shooters another opportunity to contribute to India’s medal tally. The achievement also adds to Naruka’s Asian Games record: he had won silver in the individual skeet event and bronze in the men’s team event at the 2022 Asian Games.
A Strong Shooting Run
India’s latest bronze comes amid a strong showing by the shooting contingent at Aichi-Nagoya. The sport has contributed eight of the country’s 15 medals so far, with Indian shooters collecting medals across several team and individual events. The back-to-back skeet team medals have also highlighted the growing participation and results of Indian shooters across men’s, women’s and mixed competitions.
Before the mixed team final, President Droupadi Murmu had congratulated Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan after their men’s team bronze, saying their performance had brought pride to the country. Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan similarly praised the precision, teamwork and performances of India’s skeet shooters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated Dhaliwal, Dhillon and Chauhan for their women’s team bronze, describing their focus, precision and teamwork as a proud moment for Indian sport. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also extended congratulations to both Indian skeet teams. These messages came before Thursday’s mixed-team result; as of the latest reports reviewed, no separate official statement on the mixed-team bronze had been reported.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The performances of Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal underline how sporting success is often built through consistency, teamwork and the ability to remain composed when the margin between medals is extremely small.
Their bronze came after both shooters had already contributed to team medals a day earlier, showing the demands placed on athletes competing across closely scheduled events. At the same time, the achievement offers a reminder that sporting progress should be measured not only through medal counts but also through wider participation, opportunities and support for athletes across different disciplines. Shooting’s eight medals so far demonstrate the contribution of a sport that often receives less public attention than some of India’s more prominent sporting events.
As Indian athletes continue competing across the Asian Games, how can greater attention and sustained support help more sporting disciplines and athletes find their place in the national spotlight?
Also Read: Asian Games 2026: Satnam Singh, Salman Khan Win Historic Bronze in Men’s Double Sculls
