Day 6 (September 29, 2023) of the 2023 Asian Games saw a flurry of medals for India, especially in the shooting event. Indian trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale and Akhil Sheoran created history by not only bagging a team gold medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions but also smashing the world record by a whopping eight points. (Medal Tally | Full Coverage | Sports News)
The trio amassed 1769 points to take the top podium at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. In the process, they also bettered the previous world record set by the United States in Peru last year by eight points. While Aishwary and Tomar shot 591 each, Sheoran managed 587 as the Indian marksmen overshadowed host China, who finished second (1763), by six points in front of the packed capacity Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre crowd. South Korea finished a distant third (1748).
Here's all you need to know about India's newest shooting world record holders:
Akhil Sheoran
Born on July 23, 1995, in New Delhi, Akhil Sheoran came into the limelight after bagging bronze in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2023 ISSF World Championships. By doing so, he also clinched a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics quota for the country. Akhil is ranked 7th in the world in the 50m 3P event.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar
Born in Ratanpur village, Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh, Aishwary was born in a family of farmers. His father, Veer Bahadur, was a landlord and Aishwary learned a thing or two about shooting from his cousin, Navdeep Singh Rathore. The 22-year-old received his training at the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in Bhopal. Aishwary's career kickstarted with a third-place finish at the 2019 Asian Airgun Championships in the junior 10m air rifle event. He followed it up with a gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup in 2019. He has also won a gold medal in the 50m 3 positions, a bronze in the mixed 50m 3 positions and a silver in the 10m air rifle men’s team event during the 2021 Delhi World Cup.
Swapnil Kusale
Swapnil Kusale, 28, was also born to a farmer. In 2009, his father enrolled him in the Maharashtra Government's sports-dedicated programme, 'Krida Prabhodini'. In the 2015 Asian Shooting Championships, Swapnil won gold in the 50m 3 prone rifle event (junior category). He even surpassed the likes of Gagan Narang and Chain Singh at the 59th National Shooting Championships and won the 50m rifle prone event. At the ISSF World Cairo 2022, the Kusale secured a quota for the 2024 Paris Games for the country.
