After Manu Bhaker disappointed, India men and women skeet shooters have won two bronze medals in the team events at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday.
Updated: September 23, 2026, 11:07 AM IST
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Anantjeet Singh Naruka competes in the men’s team skeet shooting event at the Asian Games 2026(Photo: PTI)
Asian Games 2026: It was the women air pistol shooters who were expected the dominate the day at Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday led by double Olympics medallist Manu Bhaker and the equally decorated Esha SinghBut it was the skeet shooters who have brought home the first medals of the day for India amid a disappointing start for the shooting contingent on Day 5 of the Asian Games.
The Indian men’s and women’s skeet teams bagged bronze medals at the Asian Games at Aichi Perfectural shooting range on WednesdayWhile the pistol shooters all returned empty handed – in both team and individual events – it was the Indian women skeet shooting trio of Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal who finished with a combined score of 331 to end third behind gold medallists China (357) and Kazakhstan (336) after three grueling days of qualifying.
Soon after, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, veteran Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill also made the podium, snapping up the men’s team bronze with a total score of 346.
The skeet event witnesses each shooter trying to get the maximum of 125 allocated pointsAnantjeet, who has also qualified for the individual final, had a score of 119, while Mairaj notched up 116 and Bhavtegh managed to scored 111.
Earlier in the day, Parinaaz and Raiza both piled up 111 points out of a possible 125, while Maheshwari had 109 points.
Raiza and Parinaaz have another shot at a medal as the duo qualified for the individual final of the women’s skeet eventWhile Raiza qualified in eighth place, Parinaaz was ninthIndia now have four silver and three bronze medals from the range.
Two Indians Through to the Final!
Asian Games 2026 | Shooting
Women’s Skeet Individual – QualificationRaiza Dhillon (NCoE Athlete) finished 8th with a score of 111.
Parinaaz Dhaliwal (NCoE Athlete) finished 9th with a score of 111.
Maheshwari Chauhan (Khelo… pic.twitter.com/dISgWWVxKm— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 23, 2026
Know all about the men’s and women’s skeet shooting team HERE…
Anantjeet Singh Naruka
The 28-year-old skeet shooter was both in Jaipur and took up the sport of shooting at the age of only 14 years after getting inspired by his father, Dalpat Singh Naruka, who is a former skeet shooter as wellHe made his international debut for India at the 2014 Asian Shotgun Championship in Al Ain in UAE and trains under his father as his personal coach and Italian coach Riccardo Filippelli as the national coach, with training based in Jaipur, Delhi and Italy.
Anantjeet’s major achievements include winning the silver medal in men’s Skeet and bronze medal in the men’s Skeet Team event at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, representing India at the Paris Olympics 2024 and winning the gold medal in Men’s Skeet at the Asian Shotgun Championship 2025 in ShymkentHe also won a bronze medal in the Skeet Team event at the 2018 ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney.
Mairaj Ahmed Khan
He is the most experienced skeet shooter in the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026 at 50 years of ageThe skeet shooter from Khurja in Uttar Pradesh is one of the pioneers of shotgun shooting in IndiaHe took up the sport of shooting seriously in 1998 and started competing internationally in 2003.
Trained under Italian Olympic champion Andrea Benelli and the national coaching of Sunny Thomas, Mairaj has represented India for over two decades in the men’s Skeet, Skeet Team and Mixed Team Skeet eventsHe created history by becoming the first Indian skeet shooter to qualify for the Olympic Games, competing at Rio 2016, where he narrowly missed the final with a ninth-place finishHe also went on to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
One of India’s most accomplished shotgun shooters, Mairaj achieved a historic milestone in 2022 by becoming the first Indian to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold medal in Men’s SkeetHis ISSF career also includes three World Cup silver medals, one World Cup bronze medal and medals at the Asian Championships.
Bhavtegh Singh Gill
The 23-year-old is the youngest member of the Indian men’s skeet team at the Asian Games 2026He was born in Pennsylvania, USA and began shooting at the age of 12 after being introduced to the sport by his father, Gurvinder Singh Gill – also a skeet shooter.
Bhavtegh’s first international appearance came at the Junior Grand Prix in Porpetto in Italy, in 2018, before making his first ISSF Junior World Cup team in 2022He currently trains at New Moti Bagh Gun Club in Patiala and DrKarni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, under Riccardo Filippelli and Mairaj Ahmed Khan.
The young shooter has established himself as one of India’s most promising skeet shooters through consistent performances on the international circuitHis notable achievements include bronze medals in the Skeet Team and Mixed Team events at the 2022 ISSF World Championship, a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championship and another silver at the 2024 ISSF Junior World Cup in Porpetto.
Raiza Dhillon
The 22-year-old women’s skeet shooter is from Chandigarh and took up the sport at the age of 16, inspired by her father, Ravijit Singh DhillonRaiza made her international debut for India at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima in Peru.
She trains at the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in New Delhi, under Italian coach Riccardo Filippelli and represents Haryana in the National ChampionshipsRaiza has emerged as one of India’s leading women’s skeet shooters through her impressive performances on the international stageShe created history by securing India’s first-ever Olympic quota in Women’s Skeet for the Paris Olympics 2024 at the 2024 Asian Shotgun ChampionshipsHer achievements also include winning silver medals at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kuwait and at the ISSF Junior World Cups in Suhl in Germany and New Delhi.
Parinaaz Dhaliwal
The 24-year-old shooter hails from Patiala, specializing in the Skeet Women, Skeet Team and Mixed Team Skeet eventsShe began shooting in 2015 at the New Moti Bagh Gun Club after initially trying trap before switching to skeet, finding the discipline more challenging and engaging.
Since progressing through the junior ranks, Parinaaz has represented India at the ISSF World Championships, ISSF World Cups, ISSF Junior World Cups and the Asian Games, establishing herself as one of India’s leading women’s skeet shooters.
Parinaaz won her first ISSF medal with a bronze medal in the Junior Women’s Skeet Team event at the 2022 ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl in GermanyShe later secured a silver medal in the Women’s Skeet Team event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi (2021)She represented India at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, where the Indian women’s skeet team finished in fourth place.
Maheshwari Chauhan
The 30-year-old is the most experienced skeet shooter in the women’s team currently at the Asian Games 2026She hails from Siyana in Rajasthan, specializing in the Women’s Skeet event.
She began shooting at the age of 15, inspired by her family’s passion for the sport, particularly her grandfatherMaheshwari made her international debut at the age of 17 at the ISSF Junior World CupShe currently trains under Italy’s Andrea Benelli at her personal shooting range in Kelwa in Rajsamand, and at the DrKarni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, while representing Rajasthan in the National Championships.
Maheshwari is one of India’s most decorated women’s skeet shooters and has played a pioneering role in the disciplineIn 2017, she became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Championship medal in Women’s Skeet, securing both silver and bronze medals at the Asian Shotgun Championships in Kazakhstan.
She later earned a silver medal at the ISSF Olympic Quota Qualification Event, setting a national record score of 121 out of 125 to secure an Olympic quota for IndiaAt the Paris Olympics 2024, she made history as part of India’s first-ever women’s skeet contingent and finished an impressive fourth, narrowly missing an Olympic medal.
