Hangzhou, 30 September 2023 (TDI): Pakistan’s athlete Kishmala Talat achieved a significant milestone on Friday by securing a bronze medal in shooting. This marks Pakistan’s inaugural medal at the ongoing 2023 Asian Games being held in Hangzhou, China.
Talat competed in the 10-meter Air Pistol event and successfully secured the third position. India’s Palak Gulia, at the age of 17, clinched the gold medal, while Esha Singh, who is 18 years old, secured the silver medal in the same event.
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Talat attained a total score of 218.2, whereas her Indian counterparts, Gulia and Singh, achieved scores of 242.1 and 239.7, respectively.
In the 10-meter air rifle shooting discipline, Pakistan’s representation concluded that Ghufran Adil, Aqib Latif, and Zeeshan Fareed were unable to qualify for the top 8 in the subsequent round.
Ghufran finished in 31st place with a total of 622.7 points, Aaqib secured the 44th position with 616.7 points, and Zeeshan ended up in 53rd place with a total score of 608.4 points.
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Pakistan, as a team, was ranked 14th overall with a combined total of 1874.8 points in the 10-meter air rifle competition.
In a different shooting event, Pakistan’s Ghulam Mustafa Bashir had a promising start during the qualification phase. However, he fell out of contention for a top-four position after accumulating only 13 points in the second round.
What are the Asian Games?
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event that takes place every four years, bringing together athletes from across Asia.
The Asian Games were initially overseen by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) starting from the inaugural Games held in New Delhi, India in 1951, until the 1978 Games.
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Following the dissolution of the Asian Games Federation, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has been responsible for organizing the Games since the 1982 edition.
These Games are officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are considered the second-largest multi-sport event globally, following the Olympic Games.
Throughout its history, the Asian Games have been hosted by nine different nations, with a total of 46 nations participating in the Games. Israel was a participant until 1974 but was subsequently excluded from the Games.
