India's shooting campaign at the Asian Games faced another disappointment on Monday, September 28, as the defending champions finished fifth in the women's 25m pistol team competition. Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat combined for 1727 points, finishing eight points behind silver medallists South Korea and seven behind bronze medallists Chinese Taipei. China claimed the gold medal with 1743 points.
India remained in medal contention until a costly rapid series from Sarnobat changed the course of the competition. During a crucial phase, Sarnobat recorded a frame hit, resulting in a score of zero for the shot.
The Indian team appealed the decision, arguing that the shot may not have been correctly detected by the scoring system. However, the Asian Games authorities rejected the appeal and maintained the original ruling.
WHAT IS A FRAME HIT?
A frame hit is recorded when a bullet strikes the frame around the scoring area instead of the target, meaning the shot receives no points.
In a high-pressure event such as the Asian Games, a frame hit can have a major impact because every shot contributes to the combined score in a team competition involving three shooters.
In Sarnobat's case, the Indian team suspected that the zero might have been caused by an issue with the electronic scoring system. Officials reviewed the incident but determined that Sarnobat had fired before properly settling her aim on the target and upheld the frame-hit decision.
A shooting coach told India Today that such mistakes can occur under pressure, particularly when a shooter is unable to fully settle before taking a shot.
The zero came at a critical stage, when India was still fighting for a place on the podium. Sarnobat's rapid series ultimately created a deficit that the defending champions could not overcome.
INDIA'S APPEAL FAILS
India challenged the frame-hit ruling instead of accepting the score immediately, maintaining that the technology had failed to register the shot correctly. The authorities examined the incident before confirming the initial decision.
The rejection of the appeal effectively ended India's hopes of recovering a medal through the protest.
The narrow margins between the leading teams made the incident even more significant. India ended with 1727 points, 16 behind gold medallists China, eight behind South Korea and seven behind Chinese Taipei.
The defending champions had fielded a strong combination of shooters, but the team was unable to produce the scores needed to remain among the medal winners.
MANU BHAKER RETURNS WITHOUT MEDAL
The fifth-place finish cannot be attributed entirely to Sarnobat. Manu Bhaker, one of India's major shooting medal prospects, also endured a disappointing individual qualification round.
Bhaker scored 579 to finish 11th and missed out on the individual final. Esha Singh, on the other hand, qualified for the final after registering 580 points to finish eighth.
Sarnobat ended the qualification round in 30th place with 568 points, including a poor fourth series in which she managed only 39.
With the combined scores leaving India with a significant deficit, the team was unable to recover its position in the medal race. The result added to the disappointment for India's shooting contingent at the Asian Games, which had arrived with strong expectations following medal-winning performances in several events.
