India's large contingent of 501 athletes is set to compete at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, aiming to showcase the nation's growing sporting depth and its ambition to become a global top-10 sporting power by 2036. Despite initial accommodation challenges, the focus is on building on the momentum from the record 2022 Hangzhou Games, with strong medal hopes in shooting, athletics, cricket, badminton, and hockey.
The Union minister also fired a few shots at the new range.
The Sports Ministry is set to commence the nomination process for the National Sports Awards next month, following a delayed announcement of the 2025 awards. The delay was due to a re-evaluation process aimed at preserving the integrity of the honours, which resulted in no Khel Ratna awardee for 2025 and fewer Arjuna awardees than recommended. The article also details the criteria for these prestigious awards and highlights some of the notable Arjuna awardees for 2025.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is set to introduce approximately 7.5 lakh school students to the sport of shooting as part of its 75th foundation anniversary celebrations.
Rashmika adds gold to India's tally in the junior competition.
Shyama Devi, mother of late Indian shooting legend Jaspal Rana, has passed away after battling multiple health issues, just weeks after her son's sudden demise.
Bhaker said the award selection panel would have followed due processes but sometimes errors can happen.
Indian teen shooter Suruchi Inder Singh won the women's 10m air pistol gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on the bronze medal as she finished fourth in the women's 25m pistol event, at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Jaspal Rana, a legendary Indian shooter and influential coach, has passed away at 49 after battling cardiac issues. He was a pioneer who brought shooting into the national spotlight with his fearless performances and later shaped the careers of many world-class athletes, including Manu Bhaker, leaving an indelible mark on Indian sports.
Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker has affirmed that Jaspal Rana will continue to be her coach despite his recent appointment as the High Performance trainer for pistol shooters.
Seventeen Indian sportspersons, including World Cup winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and shuttler Gayatri Gopichand, have been named for the prestigious Arjuna Award for 2025.
The death of former Asian Games champion and celebrated shooting coach Jaspal Rana at the age of 49 has triggered an outpouring of grief across India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and several leading figures from the sporting world paying tribute to one of the country's most influential shooters and mentors.
Suruchi Singh and Samrat Rana scored 479.6 -- a new World and Asian junior record -- but Uzbekistan clinched gold with a world-record 481.3 at in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Championship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Indian contingent which returned from the Paris Olympics with six medals.
India's Olympic Heroes Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker posted Holi greetings on their respective social media handles on Friday.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged Indian shooters to support the country's goal of becoming a top-10 global sporting power within a decade. The NRAI marked its 75th anniversary with a plan to introduce shooting to 7.5 lakh youth through grassroots outreach.
Olympic champions like Anna Korakaki and Nino Salkuvadze, who have observed Manu are not surprised by her sensational performance so far.
Manu Bhaker's father, Ramkrishna Bhaker, maintained a positive outlook.
Paris Olympics double medallist Manu Bhaker, two-time Paralympics champion Avani Lekhara and ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat are among five athletes nominated for the BBC 'Indian Sportswoman of the Year' award.
It was all thanks to a shooting range in their village Sasroli. The facility that was run by Kargil war veteran Anil Jakhar, was very close to their house and came as a blessing in disguise when Suruchi had to halt her Bhiwani sojourns due to the pandemic in 2020.
Simranpreet Kaur Brar clinched her maiden senior international medal with a silver in the women's 25m pistol event.
Whether she's pulling the trigger on the range or pulling off the perfect vacation moodboard, Manu Bhaker does it with style-and heart.
Former Asian Games gold medallist Ronjan Sodhi believes India's ambitious target of 30-40 medals at the 2036 Olympics is a 'distant prospect', citing significant delays in talent identification, scouting, and critical infrastructure improvements.
It was difficult to separate the Indian pairs in the initial stages of the bronze match-up as both were tied at six points apiece after the first six series of single shots fired by each shooter.
Indian pistol and rifle shooters are determined to continue their winning streak at the ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain, despite missing key players.
The para-athletes outnumbered the able-bodied ones in the list this time due to the magnificent Paris Paralympics performance in which they returned with 29 medals, including seven gold and nine silver.
Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar believes India's women pugilists are a stronger bet for an Olympic medal than their male counterparts and should be prioritised in the overall planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, following their record-shattering Commonwealth Games performance.
Esha Singh fought off challenges from two Chinese Taipei shooters as well as compatriot Suruchi Singh, to claim her second individual senior Asian Championship gold, even as Samrat Rana bagged bronze.
Abraham, 51, shared a picture with the Olympian and her medal on his Instagram page.
Esha's effort came as India wrapped up engagements in the 10-Olympic events on schedule at the World Championships, with a historic haul of one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
Modi lauded the shooter for the manner in which she redeemed herself after the disappointment in Tokyo.
The cricket fraternity, including new T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav and new head coach Gautam Gambhir, also joined in to congratulate the duo.
'Honestly, I've been off the social media and I have not been checking my phone, so I don't know what's going on. But I just know that I was trying my best and I was trying to deliver a good performance.'
Two-time medallist Elavenil Valarivan will fancy her chances on the first competition day of ISSF World Cup in Munich on Tuesday
The 18-year old pistol shooter, who was one of India's medal hopefuls in Tokyo Olympics, was disappointed at the postponement of the Summer Games.
Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike has entered its 20th day, with doctors warning of his critical health condition. Despite this, Wangchuk is resolute in his call for a peaceful march to Parliament on July 20, coinciding with the Monsoon Session's opening, to protest alleged examination irregularities and demand the Union education minister's resignation.
Hockey star Hardik Singh lone recommendation for Khel Ratna; Divya, TJ & Mehuli for Arjuna
COVID-19 and the lockdown has not dampened Manu Bhaker's spirit.
Bindra praised Manu for patching up with coach Jaspal Rana and for working in tandem for her success.
