A bronze medal on home soil wasn’t enough for Anish Bhanwala — because for him, the real target is world-class perfection.
While a bronze medal at the Asian Shooting Championships would be a career highlight for many, Olympian Anish Bhanwala left the Karni Singh Shooting Range on Wednesday with a sense of unfinished business. Despite securing his third individual continental medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol event, the world championship silver medalist expressed clear dissatisfaction with his performance, particularly during the early stages of the competition. For Bhanwala, the medal was important, but the manner in which it came did not meet his own expectations.
The 23-year-old shooter from Karnal has consistently set high standards for himself on the international stage. Having already proven his credentials with strong finishes at major global events, he views every competition as preparation for even bigger challenges ahead. In that context, the Delhi outing was less about the podium finish and more about evaluating where he stands in comparison to world-class benchmarks.
A Narrow Escape to the Finals
Bhanwala’s journey to the podium was nearly cut short during the qualification round. He finished in seventh place with a score of 574-20x—a mark he candidly admitted would typically not be enough to advance in a more competitive field. The qualification phase exposed inconsistencies that he openly acknowledged after the event.
"I underperformed a lot in the qualifier," Bhanwala remarked, visibly annoyed. "Due to less competition, I came into the finals. Even there, I was struggling, but I fought hard to give my best in that situation".
His teammate, Adarsh Singh, also squeezed into the final in eighth place with a score of 573, ensuring two Indian representatives in the medal round. Their qualification kept India in contention, but it also highlighted the fine margins that define rapid fire pistol shooting at the elite level.
Final Round Fluctuations
The final saw a dramatic shift in momentum. Bhanwala started strong, showing composure and rhythm in the early series. At one stage, he leveled with Japan’s Dai Yoshioka for the lead after the sixth series, raising hopes of a gold-medal finish for the home crowd.
However, the penultimate series proved decisive. While Yoshioka delivered a perfect five-hit series and Kazakhstan’s Nikita Chiryukin secured four, Bhanwala faltered with only two hits. That brief lapse proved costly in a format where every shot counts.
This late slump relegated Bhanwala to third place with a final total of 23 hits. Yoshioka claimed the gold with a world-record-equaling score of 31, while Chiryukin took silver with 28.
The Road Ahead: Coaching and Refinement
Immediately following the event, Bhanwala sought out his coach, Harpreet Singh, to begin analyzing the technical lapses. With the Asian Games and World Championships on the horizon later this year, his focus is firmly on refining technique, improving consistency, and peaking at the right moment in the season.
Final Standings:
- Gold: Dai Yoshioka (JPN) – 31 hits
- Silver: Nikita Chiryukin (KAZ) – 28 hits
- Bronze: Anish Bhanwala (IND) – 23 hits
Indian Highlights:
- Adarsh Singh finished 6th in the individual final.
- The trio of Anish, Adarsh, and Neeraj Kumar secured a team silver for India.
"I have respect for the medal," Bhanwala concluded, "but I know the world standards, and that is what we prepare for in training".
