NRAI Announces Final Preparatory Camps as India’s Shooters Begin Final Asian Games Push

India’s shooting contingent will enter the final phase of its preparations for the 2026 Asian Games with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announcing a series of preparatory camps across Bhopal and New Delhi.

With the Asian Games now approaching, the camps are designed to give India’s selected shooters the final opportunity to sharpen their technical execution, work on mental conditioning and build consistency before travelling to Japan.

The programme will be conducted at two of India’s premier shooting centres the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal and the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi with athletes divided according to their respective disciplines.

The shooting competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is scheduled from September 17 to October 3 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range in Japan.

Rifle and pistol shooters head to Bhopal

The Rifle and Pistol contingent will hold its final preparatory camp at the MP State Shooting Academy from September 5 to 14. For the athletes, the timing of the camp is critical. With only a short window remaining before competition begins in Japan, the emphasis will be on fine-tuning rather than making major technical changes.

India will have a strong lineup across the Air Rifle, 50m Rifle 3 Positions and Air Pistol events. In the men’s 10m Air Rifle, India will field Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, while Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod will compete in the women’s event.

The 50m Rifle 3 Positions events will feature Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil in the men’s competition, with Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod and Tilottama Sen representing India in the women’s event.

The pistol contingent includes several established names. Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Kamaljeet and Aakash Bharadwaj will compete in the men’s 10m Air Pistol, while Suruchi, Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker will contest the women’s event.

Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat will also compete in the women’s 25m Sports Pistol, while Anish is India’s sole entry in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol.

India will also compete in both mixed team Air Rifle and Air Pistol events.

Shotgun contingent prepares in Delhi

The shotgun shooters will complete their preparations at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. The Skeet camp will run from September 4 to 14, while the Trap camp will take place from September 10 to 18. The Trap men’s team consists of Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi and Shapath Bharadwaj, while Neeru, Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat will compete in the women’s Trap event.

In Skeet, India’s men’s team features Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan. The women’s Skeet lineup comprises Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan.

India will also field teams in both mixed team disciplines, with Kynan Chenai and Neeru forming the Trap mixed team and Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal competing in Skeet mixed team.

NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo described the camps as a critical step towards India's pursuit of medals at the Asian Games, stressing the organisation’s confidence in the selected athletes and its commitment to providing them with world-class resources. NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh highlighted the decision to conduct the camps concurrently in Bhopal and New Delhi.

The arrangement allows athletes to train in environments specifically suited to their disciplines while enabling the support staff to coordinate logistics, infrastructure and other requirements. NRAI High Performance Director Dr. Pierre Beauchamp said the focus at this stage would shift from training volume to precision, mental conditioning and technical refinement.

That change in emphasis is important. At this stage of an athlete’s preparation, the objective is not necessarily to accumulate more training hours but to ensure that the technical and mental components are synchronised before the competition begins.

India’s shooting team will therefore arrive in Japan after a final period designed around consistency and peak performance.

India’s complete shooting squad for Asian Games 2026

Rifle and Pistol

10m Air Rifle Men: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil

10m Air Rifle Women: Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa K Vinod

50m Rifle 3 Positions Men: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil

50m Rifle 3 Positions Women: Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen

10m Air Pistol Men: Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Kamaljeet, Aakash Bharadwaj

10m Air Pistol Women: Suruchi, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker

25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men: Anish

25m Sports Pistol Women: Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat

10m Air Rifle Mixed Team: Parth Rakesh Mane, Elavenil Valarivan

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team: Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Suruchi

Shotgun

Trap Men: Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj

Skeet Men: Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan

Trap Women: Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat

Skeet Women: Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan

Trap Mixed Team: Kynan Chenai, Neeru

Skeet Mixed Team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Parinaaz Dhaliwal

With the final camps now set, India’s shooters have entered the last stretch before the Asian Games. The focus will be on arriving in Japan technically sharp, mentally prepared and ready to convert months of preparation into medals on the continental stage.