India will be looking for plenty of home success as its capital city New Delhi gets set to host the Asian Shooting Championship Rifle/Pistol from 2 to 14 February.
Seven defending champions return from 2025, including five Indian athletes.
Unsurprisingly, India brings the largest contingent to the competition to the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges, with 118 athletes entered - over a third of the total number of athletes, 327.
Kazakhstan bring a great number of contenders too, with 35, and Iran have registered 28 athletes.
Women's Rifle
India's 10m air rifle women's team consists of world bronze medallist Elavenil Valarivan, top 10 ranked Meghana Sajjanar, the bronze medallist at the Ningbo World Cup last year, as well as world number 23 Arya Borse, world number 33 Sonam Uttam Maskar and Shreya Agrawal. Iran's best hopes lie with top-50 ranked Shermineh Chehel Amirani, who finished fifth at the 2023 World Championship and just missed the Olympic final two years ago.
The biggest threat to an Indian gold medal is Republic of Korea's Kwon Eun-ji, the world number two who won two World Cup silvers last year and took Asian bronze in Shymkent.
Misaki Tobata, a world finalist last year, will be Japan's best hopes across both 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions events and Rio Miura. Kazakh youngster Yelizaveta Bezrukova, who is a four-time World Cup finalist, will be a contender in both too. Aruuke Talantbekova of Kyrgyzstan will be another contender in the junior category, with the 19-year-old ranked 35th in the world.
Ashi Chouksey, the world number 14, is one of India's hopes in the 50m rifle 3 positions, as is 2018 world silver medallist Anjum Moudgil. Aside from Bezrukova, Sofiya Shulzhenko, a World Cup finalist last year in Munich, will look to perform well for Kazakhstan.
Seven defending champions return from 2025, including five Indian athletes.
Unsurprisingly, India brings the largest contingent to the competition to the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges, with 118 athletes entered - over a third of the total number of athletes, 327.
Kazakhstan bring a great number of contenders too, with 35, and Iran have registered 28 athletes.
Women's Rifle
India's 10m air rifle women's team consists of world bronze medallist Elavenil Valarivan, top 10 ranked Meghana Sajjanar, the bronze medallist at the Ningbo World Cup last year, as well as world number 23 Arya Borse, world number 33 Sonam Uttam Maskar and Shreya Agrawal. Iran's best hopes lie with top-50 ranked Shermineh Chehel Amirani, who finished fifth at the 2023 World Championship and just missed the Olympic final two years ago.
The biggest threat to an Indian gold medal is Republic of Korea's Kwon Eun-ji, the world number two who won two World Cup silvers last year and took Asian bronze in Shymkent.
Misaki Tobata, a world finalist last year, will be Japan's best hopes across both 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions events and Rio Miura. Kazakh youngster Yelizaveta Bezrukova, who is a four-time World Cup finalist, will be a contender in both too. Aruuke Talantbekova of Kyrgyzstan will be another contender in the junior category, with the 19-year-old ranked 35th in the world.
Ashi Chouksey, the world number 14, is one of India's hopes in the 50m rifle 3 positions, as is 2018 world silver medallist Anjum Moudgil. Aside from Bezrukova, Sofiya Shulzhenko, a World Cup finalist last year in Munich, will look to perform well for Kazakhstan.
Kwon Eun-ji is one of the contenders in women's air rifleMen's Rifle
Arjun Babuta is one of the most notable Indian names in men's 10m air rifle, with the world number seven and Olympic finalist leading the Indian team, alongside Kiran Ankush Jadhav, and world number 10 and 2022 world champion, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil.
Iran's Amirmohammad Nekounam, who is ranked in the top 30, will look to win his first Asian Championships medal; while Japan's Naoki Hanakawa is Japan's best hopes. He just missed the medals at the 2025 World Championship, finishing fourth. His teammate Naoya Okada could feature high up in the standings in both the 10m and 50m distances, being world number 13 in the latter.
Islam Satpayev is the defending champion in the 10m air rifle event and is Kazakhstan's best hope for a medal.
In the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event, defending Asian champion Aishwary Tomar leads a strong Indian team that also features world number six Niraj Kumar and Patil. The likes of Satpayev and Okada will also be contenders for the podium.
Arjun Babuta is one of the most notable Indian names in men's 10m air rifle, with the world number seven and Olympic finalist leading the Indian team, alongside Kiran Ankush Jadhav, and world number 10 and 2022 world champion, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil.
Iran's Amirmohammad Nekounam, who is ranked in the top 30, will look to win his first Asian Championships medal; while Japan's Naoki Hanakawa is Japan's best hopes. He just missed the medals at the 2025 World Championship, finishing fourth. His teammate Naoya Okada could feature high up in the standings in both the 10m and 50m distances, being world number 13 in the latter.
Islam Satpayev is the defending champion in the 10m air rifle event and is Kazakhstan's best hope for a medal.
In the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event, defending Asian champion Aishwary Tomar leads a strong Indian team that also features world number six Niraj Kumar and Patil. The likes of Satpayev and Okada will also be contenders for the podium.
Women's Pistol
World number four and world silver medallist Ho Ching Shing from Hong Kong lines up as one of the favourites for the women's 10m air pistol. She has made the continental final on four occasions, winning silver in 2019.
India remains a strong favourite for the team medal, with double Olympic medallist and world number seven Manu Bhaker amongst their team, competing at both 10m and 25m, and 2023 Asian junior champion and 2025 ISSF World Cup Final silver medallist Sainyam. Esha Singh is in both events too, fresh off of her 2025 world bronze medal in the 25m discipline and a 10m air pistol World Cup victory in Ningbo.
But Suruchi Singh is the pick of the team. The world number two won three ISSF World Cup legs last season in the 10m discipline, as well as the ISSF World Cup Final. Haniyeh Rostamiyan of Iran, an Olympic finalist, has little silverware to her name so far, but has been very consistent on major stages. She won 25m silver in 2023 and finished fourth last year in the 10m event. Kazakhstan's top-ranked athlete is Irina Yunusmetova, number 36 in the world.
A dark horse for a medal could be Cheng Yen-Ching of Chinese Taipei, ranked 16th in the world. The 19-year-old had a solid performance of 25th in her debut World Championship and even finished fifth on her ISSF World Cup debut in Munich. Thu Vinh Trinh of Vietnam, a two-time Asian bronze medallist and two-time Olympic finalist, will also feature.
Chen Yu-Ju and Tien Chia-Chen of Chinese Taipei will also feature in the 25m discipline.
World number four and world silver medallist Ho Ching Shing from Hong Kong lines up as one of the favourites for the women's 10m air pistol. She has made the continental final on four occasions, winning silver in 2019.
India remains a strong favourite for the team medal, with double Olympic medallist and world number seven Manu Bhaker amongst their team, competing at both 10m and 25m, and 2023 Asian junior champion and 2025 ISSF World Cup Final silver medallist Sainyam. Esha Singh is in both events too, fresh off of her 2025 world bronze medal in the 25m discipline and a 10m air pistol World Cup victory in Ningbo.
But Suruchi Singh is the pick of the team. The world number two won three ISSF World Cup legs last season in the 10m discipline, as well as the ISSF World Cup Final. Haniyeh Rostamiyan of Iran, an Olympic finalist, has little silverware to her name so far, but has been very consistent on major stages. She won 25m silver in 2023 and finished fourth last year in the 10m event. Kazakhstan's top-ranked athlete is Irina Yunusmetova, number 36 in the world.
A dark horse for a medal could be Cheng Yen-Ching of Chinese Taipei, ranked 16th in the world. The 19-year-old had a solid performance of 25th in her debut World Championship and even finished fifth on her ISSF World Cup debut in Munich. Thu Vinh Trinh of Vietnam, a two-time Asian bronze medallist and two-time Olympic finalist, will also feature.
Chen Yu-Ju and Tien Chia-Chen of Chinese Taipei will also feature in the 25m discipline.
Men's Pistol
India's 10m air pistol team includes Sharvan Kumar, who was 12th in the World Championship and world number two and world bronze medallist Varun Tomar; but most importantly, Samrat Rana, the world champion.
Iran's Vahid Golkhandan, who twice made a final last year on the ISSF World Cup circuit, will be a contender too, as will Valeriy Rakhimzhan of Kazakhstan, the world number eight and the ISSF World Cup silver medallist from Munich, who placed fourth last year in Shymkent. Hsieh Hsiang-Chen of Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan's world number 25 Mukhammad Kamalov, who placed ninth at the 2025 World Championship, are also entered.
World number four Anish leads India's team in the men's 25m rapid fire event, accompanied by world number 22 Adarsh Singh, who finished fifth last year in Shymkent. Dai Yoshioka of Japan, ranked 12th in the world, will challenge for the medals too, having finish eighth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and fourth at the World Championship in 2023, and second at the Asian Championships in 2023.
Kazakhstan's Nikita Chiryukin also narrowly missed an Olympic final, finishing 10th in the event at Paris 2024. He was also the junior world champion in 2023 in the 25m pistol event. His compatriot Kirill Tsukanov, 19, moves up to the senior ranks after claiming Asian junior silver last year. Hong Kong's Haohui Chen will be an outside contender too.
India's 10m air pistol team includes Sharvan Kumar, who was 12th in the World Championship and world number two and world bronze medallist Varun Tomar; but most importantly, Samrat Rana, the world champion.
Iran's Vahid Golkhandan, who twice made a final last year on the ISSF World Cup circuit, will be a contender too, as will Valeriy Rakhimzhan of Kazakhstan, the world number eight and the ISSF World Cup silver medallist from Munich, who placed fourth last year in Shymkent. Hsieh Hsiang-Chen of Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan's world number 25 Mukhammad Kamalov, who placed ninth at the 2025 World Championship, are also entered.
World number four Anish leads India's team in the men's 25m rapid fire event, accompanied by world number 22 Adarsh Singh, who finished fifth last year in Shymkent. Dai Yoshioka of Japan, ranked 12th in the world, will challenge for the medals too, having finish eighth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and fourth at the World Championship in 2023, and second at the Asian Championships in 2023.
Kazakhstan's Nikita Chiryukin also narrowly missed an Olympic final, finishing 10th in the event at Paris 2024. He was also the junior world champion in 2023 in the 25m pistol event. His compatriot Kirill Tsukanov, 19, moves up to the senior ranks after claiming Asian junior silver last year. Hong Kong's Haohui Chen will be an outside contender too.