India's Asian Games 2023 journey got off to a bright start in shooting with Ramita Jindal bagging an individual bronze and a team silver for the country. India's shooting sensation is now termed a 'special talent' after she opened her campaign in the air rifle event.
In her maiden Asian Games, the 19-year-old set the stage on fire while competing with world no. 1 Jiayu Han, and Mehuli Ghosh, who was the bronze medalist in the World Championship. She not only won a bronze medal in the individual 10m air rifle event but also contributed in securing a silver medal in the team event.
It is like a dream come true, says Ramita on winning India's first individual medal in Asian Games 2023
After opening her campaign with a bronze medal, Ramita credited the success to her parents who have been steadfastly supporting her in her shooting career. She said:
“I feel like being on top of the world. It is like a dream come true. The medals belong to everyone who believed in me and supported me.”
“I dedicate these medals to my parents who have supported me through the thick and thin of my shooting journey thus far,” said the Hansraj College student.
Notably, Ramita's teammate Ghosh finished fourth in the rankings and missed a medal by a narrow margin. She garnered a total of 208.3 points.
Ramita Jindal outshone her more experienced teammate Mehuli Ghosh, securing the third position in the 10m air rifle event with a score of 230.1 points spanning 22 shots. Earlier in the day, Ramita, Mehuli, and Ashi Chouksey combined to secure a silver medal in the team event, collecting a total score of 1886 and only trailing behind China's 1896.6.
Ramita's bronze is India's first individual medal at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou. Her medal has opened the floodgates for India who are looking to win at least 100 medals this time round on the back of some impressive performances from various sportspersons leading into the quadrennial event.