Asian Games 2026: Two medals each for Anant Jeet, Parinaaz after mixed skeet bronze

Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal gave Indian skeet another reason to celebrate on Thursday, winning bronze in the mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026 and completing a remarkable three-medal haul for India in the discipline.The medal was India's first-ever in the Asian Games mixed team skeet event and meant both Naruka and Parinaaz will leave Aichi-Nagoya with two medals each.Their bronze came after a tense final made even more difficult by gusty winds at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. India finished with 44 points, while China won gold with a world-record 52. South Korea took silver with 51, with both surpassing the previous world record of 47 set by Qatar in January.Asian Games 2026: September 24 updates FROM LAST QUALIFIER TO MEDALNaruka and Parinaaz entered the four-team final in fourth place after scoring 138 in qualification. Naruka hit 70 of 75 targets, while Parinaaz finished with 68.Qatar topped qualification with 145, followed by South Korea on 143 and China on 140. But the qualification scores were wiped out for the final, giving all four teams a fresh start. Qatar, despite leading qualification, were eliminated first, guaranteeing India at least a bronze and keeping alive the possibility of a medal upgrade.India started solidly, hitting 21 of 24 targets, before the conditions became increasingly challenging as intermittent gusts swept across the range.The Indians responded well under pressure. Naruka missed only once in the next stage as India reached 44 points, enough to secure bronze but not to keep them in contention for gold.China eventually produced a remarkable finish, scoring 52 to set a new world record. South Korea's 51 also bettered the previous mark.For India, however, the bronze completed a sweep of the three skeet team events at these Games.Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan had won men's team bronze on Wednesday, while Parinaaz, Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan claimed bronze in the women's team event later that day.The women's medal was India's first-ever Asian Games medal in skeet. A day later, Naruka and Parinaaz combined to ensure that every team skeet event in Aichi-Nagoya produced an Indian medal.TWO MEDALS, TWO DIFFERENT STORIESFor Parinaaz, 24, the second bronze capped a breakthrough Asian Games campaign. The Patiala shooter had missed out on a medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, but returned four years later to help India make history in women's skeet before adding another medal in the mixed event.She said the pair's aggressive approach and constant encouragement helped them navigate the pressure."We were aggressive. We just kept telling each other to keep fighting. That's what mixed team is about," Parinaaz said.Naruka's bronze added to an already impressive Asian Games record. He won individual silver and men's team bronze at Hangzhou, before adding another team bronze and the mixed team bronze in Aichi-Nagoya.The 28-year-old has also competed at the Paris Olympics, where he and Maheshwari Chauhan finished fourth in the mixed team event.That experience made Thursday's podium finish particularly meaningful for him."This one ranks highest. In the Olympics you are coming fourth, but if you're not standing on the podium it does not matter. We fought well and got the bronze today," Naruka said.For Indian skeet, the medal completed a historic two-day run: three events, three medals, including landmark firsts in both the women's and mixed team events.- EndsPublished By: Amar PanickerPublished On: Sep 24, 2026 13:33 IST