No Indian Shooter Reaches Men’s 10m Air Pistol Final at Asian Games 2026

India endured another disappointing outing in the men’s 10m air pistol qualification at the Asian Games 2026, with none of its three shooters managing to secure a place in the eight-man final.

Kamaljeet came closest, finishing ninth with 580 points, just one point away from the qualification mark. Aakash Bharadwaj ended the qualification in 11th place with 579, while Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve finished 35th with 568. The result also meant India missed out on the team podium, with the trio combining for 1,727 points to finish fourth behind Japan, Indonesia and China.

Kamaljeet entered the competition with a strong start and appeared to remain in contention for much of the qualification. He opened with a 97 and followed it with a 98 in the second series. His third series provided another boost as he produced a 100, briefly putting himself in a strong position. However, he could not maintain that level through the remainder of his 60 shots.

Kamaljeet eventually finished with 580-18x, placing seventh after the first relay. With another 30 shooters still to compete, his qualification position became increasingly vulnerable.

The final standings confirmed his fears. He finished ninth, just one point behind the final qualifier. At one stage, Kamaljeet's only mathematical hope depended on Uzbekistan's Vladimir Svechnikov producing an unusually low final shot. As the remaining shooters completed their rounds, however, the Indian's position eventually slipped outside the top eight.

Aakash Bharadwaj also began with a 97 in the opening series, keeping himself within reach of the leading group. His second series, however, yielded only 95, putting additional pressure on the remaining shots. Aakash responded with a 98 in the third series, briefly moving back into contention.

But the recovery was not enough to overcome the damage from the second series. He completed his 60 shots with 579-20x and finished 11th. The one-point difference between Kamaljeet and the final qualification position highlighted just how tight the battle for the final was. For Aakash, however, the deficit was slightly larger, leaving him outside the final field.

Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve was part of the second relay and therefore entered the competition knowing that he needed a strong score to give India another chance of reaching the final. He started with 97 in his first series. However, his second series brought a 96, and the pressure increased further.

The third series also did not provide the required boost. A fourth-series score of 95 effectively ended his hopes of climbing into the qualification positions. Kedarling eventually finished with 568 points, placing 35th. His performance meant India had no remaining route into the individual final.

India Finishes Fourth in Team Standings

The three Indian shooters combined for 1,727 points in the qualification round. That placed India fourth in the team standings.

Indonesia and China both finished on 1,743 points, while Japan was third with 1,730. India therefore missed the team podium by three points behind Japan and 16 points behind the joint-leading Indonesia and China scores. The final standings reflected a difficult morning for the Indian shooting contingent, particularly given that the team had entered the competition with three shooters capable of challenging for a place in the individual final.

The result adds to what has been a difficult Asian Games campaign for India in the 10m air pistol event. Kamaljeet's ninth-place finish was the closest India came to securing a finalist, but being just one point away ultimately proved decisive. The qualification format leaves very little room for inconsistency. With only eight shooters advancing to the final, every series carries significant weight.

Kamaljeet demonstrated that he could produce high scores, including a 100 in the third series, but the overall total of 580 was not enough. Aakash finished just behind him, while Kedarling's early decline in the standings removed India's final possibility of making the medal round.

The final result was straightforward: no Indian shooter qualified for the men's 10m air pistol individual final. Kamaljeet finished ninth with 580, Aakash Bharadwaj was 11th with 579 and Kedarling Uchaganve ended 35th with 568. The Indian trio also finished fourth as a team with 1,727 points.

For Kamaljeet, the disappointment will be particularly sharp after coming within a single point of the final. For Aakash and Kedarling, the gap was wider, but the outcome was the same. India's shooting campaign at Aichi-Nagoya continues in other events, but the men's 10m air pistol competition ends without an Indian finalist or team medal.