Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Singh Cheema, and Shiva Narwal joined forces to secure the gold medal in the team event of men’s 10m air pistol shooting at the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. This remarkable accomplishment further solidified India’s performance in shooting at the Asian Games, bringing their medal tally in the sport to an impressive 13.
Importantly this year’s display marked India’s finest showing ever in shooting at the Asian Games as they clinched four gold medals, four silver medals and five bronze medals. This outstanding achievement surpassed their record of three gold medals out of 14 won at the Doha Games in 2006.
In the individual qualification rounds, Sarabjot Singh led by example with a score of 580 (18x), securing him the position among all Indian shooters. Arjun Singh Cheema achieved a score of 578 (19x), placing him eighth overall, while Shiva Narwal managed a score of 576 (13x), securing him a place out of a field of 56 competitors. However, only the top eight shooters advanced to the round based on performances.
Nonetheless, when their scores were combined as a team effort, India accumulated a total of 1734 points—narrowly surpassing China with their score of 1733 points and Vietnam with their tally of 1730 points—to claim deserved gold medal honours. Despite being out of the running for the bronze medal at the halfway point of the competition, they managed to make a comeback.
In the round for individuals, Sarabjot Singh narrowly missed out on a medal finishing in place with a score of 199. Arjun Singh Cheema was eliminated and ended up in eighth place with 113.3 points.