Top shooters, including double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Sift Kaur Samra, Arjun Babuta, and Saurabh Chaudhary, will compete for continental accolades as a record 182-member Indian team begins their campaign at the Asian Championships (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, on Monday. India is fielding its largest-ever contingent in the tournament, which features competitions across senior, junior, and youth categories. A total of 58 events—46 individual and 12 mixed team—will have medals up for grabs across various categories. In the previous edition in Changwon, India secured 59 medals overall (21 gold, 22 silver, and 16 bronze), including 19 at the senior level. Of these 19 medals, India earned six gold, eight silver, and five bronze, finishing third behind China, who topped the leaderboard with 14 gold (total 33), and South Korea, who claimed nine gold (total 24). India’s sole individual gold came in the 50m rifle 3-positions event, where Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished at the top. The remaining gold medals were in team and mixed team events, a fact senior shooters will keep in mind during the competition. Manu Bhaker, following her success at the Paris Olympics with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events, aims to win gold after previously securing a team silver in the 25m pistol event at the continental championship. India’s squad also includes seasoned 10m air rifle shooters, former world champion Rudrankksh Patil, and Olympian Arjun Babuta, along with Asian Games gold medallist in the 10m air pistol event, Saurabh Chaudhary, who is making a comeback. In the 25m rapid-fire pistol event, Olympian Anish Bhanwala will lead the charge, while Manu Bhaker will compete for medals in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events. Besides competitors from China and Korea, India will face challenges from hosts Kazakhstan, who have the second-largest contingent with 111 entries. Korea (70), China (41), Iran (29), Chinese Taipei (24), and Vietnam (20) also have strong teams. India will field five shooters in each senior category event, with three competing for medals and the remaining two for ranking points. In the junior section, six shooters will compete per event, with three vying for medals and the others participating for qualification and ranking. While most Indian shooters will compete in Olympic disciplines, several will also participate in non-Olympic events such as centre-fire, standard, free pistol, rifle prone, and double trap. (With PTI Inputs)