India closed out Day 5 of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya with two bronze medals in shotgun shooting, as both the men’s and women’s team skeet squads fought their way onto the podium, while three-time Olympic medal contender Mirabai Chanu took to the platform in weightlifting. It was a shooting-heavy day for the Indian contingent, and the kind of grind-it-out result that doesn’t make headlines abroad but matters enormously back home.
Key Takeaways
- India’s men’s team skeet shooting squad won bronze on Day 5 of the Asian Games 2026, adding to the country’s growing shotgun-shooting medal tally.
- The women’s team skeet shooters also claimed bronze, giving India a rare double-medal day in a discipline it has historically struggled in.
- Mirabai Chanu competed in weightlifting on the same day, with her result adding another storyline to India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign.
- India’s overall medal count at the Asian Games 2026 continues to be driven by shooting, a trend that’s held steady since the Hangzhou edition.
What Happened in Skeet Shooting on Day 5?
Skeet shooting isn’t India’s traditional strength. Trap and skeet have long been the domain of nations like South Korea, China, and Kuwait, while India built its shotgun reputation more in trap events over the last decade. That’s what makes Day 5 of the Asian Games 2026 worth noting — both the men’s and women’s team skeet events delivered bronze for India, a discipline where a podium finish used to be the exception, not the rule.
Team skeet events are unforgiving. Three shooters, one squad, and every dropped clay costs the whole team, not just the individual on the line. There’s no hiding a bad round. When a team walks away with bronze, it usually means the group shot clean through pressure rounds against squads with deeper skeet pedigree — Kazakhstan, Kuwait, South Korea, and hosts Japan among the traditional heavyweights in this event.
Why Does This Bronze Matter for Indian Shooting?
India’s shooting programme has been rebuilding its shotgun wing methodically since a rough patch after Tokyo 2020, where the country’s shooters — across rifle, pistol and shotgun — returned empty-handed. Since then, the federation has poured resources into shotgun disciplines specifically because trap and skeet were seen as India’s weakest link compared to rifle and pistol, where names like Manu Bhaker and Sift Kaur Samra have carried the flag.
A double bronze in team skeet at the Asian Games 2026 is a signal that the investment is paying off in a discipline that was, until recently, an afterthought. It also matters for World Championship and Olympic quota calculations — Asian Games medals in shooting carry ranking points that feed directly into the qualification pipeline for the next Olympic cycle. You can read the full medal table and schedule for the Games on the official Asian Games 2026 reference page, which tracks every discipline day by day.
How Did Mirabai Chanu Fare in Weightlifting?
Mirabai Chanu, India’s most decorated modern-day weightlifter and the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, was in action on the same day the shooters were collecting their bronzes. Chanu has spent the last two years managing injuries and shifting between weight categories, so every competitive outing at this stage of her career is watched closely — both for the result and for what it tells selectors about her form heading into the next Olympic qualification window.
Her appearance at the Asian Games 2026 comes at a point where Indian weightlifting badly needs a marquee performance. The sport hasn’t produced a fresh star since Chanu and Jeremy Lalrinnunga burst onto the scene, and a strong showing from her in Aichi-Nagoya would do more for the sport’s visibility back home than any federation press release.
India’s Day 5 Medal Summary
| Event | Category | Result |
| Team Skeet Shooting | Men’s Team | Bronze |
| Team Skeet Shooting | Women’s Team | Bronze |
| Weightlifting | Mirabai Chanu | In action — result awaited |
An India Angle: Why Skeet Was the Bigger Surprise
Ask any shooting coach in India which shotgun event they’d bet on for a medal, and skeet wouldn’t top the list. Trap has produced Olympians. Skeet has produced heartbreak — near-misses at Asian and Commonwealth level for years. That’s what makes this Day 5 haul at the Asian Games 2026 the more interesting story next to Chanu’s weightlifting appearance. It’s not the star name delivering; it’s a squad event, built on team discipline, quietly closing a gap that used to look permanent.
What’s Next for India at the Asian Games 2026?
With shooting still mid-schedule and weightlifting categories rolling through the week, India’s medal tally at the Asian Games 2026 is expected to keep climbing through combat sports, athletics, and the cricket competition, which has already produced a gold for the women’s team and a tense T20I win over Japan. Day 5’s shooting bronzes add to a campaign that started strong and looks built to stay that way through the closing week in Aichi-Nagoya.
FAQ
Where is the Asian Games 2026 being held?
The Asian Games 2026 is being hosted across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya in Japan, marking the country’s third time hosting the Games.
How many shooting medals has India won so far at the Asian Games 2026?
India’s tally includes the Day 5 bronze medals in men’s and women’s team skeet shooting, adding to earlier results from rifle and pistol events reported through the week.
Is Mirabai Chanu still competing internationally?
Yes. Despite injury setbacks after Tokyo 2020, Chanu has continued competing at major events, and her Asian Games 2026 appearance is part of her build-up toward future Olympic qualification.
What is team skeet shooting?
Team skeet is a shotgun event where three shooters per squad fire at clay targets launched from two directions, with combined scores deciding the medal standings.
Why has India historically struggled in skeet compared to trap?
India’s shooting federation invested earlier and more heavily in trap and rifle/pistol disciplines, leaving skeet as a smaller, less-funded programme until recent years.
Day 5 won’t be the headline day of these Asian Games 2026 for India, not with cricket golds and viral T20I finishes grabbing attention. But for the shooters who spent years chasing a skeet medal that never came, and for Chanu grinding through another comeback, it was a day that counted.