The stage was set at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, presenting the demanding test of skeet shooting with the expectations of an entire nation hanging in the balance.
Following three days of relentless focus, Wednesday delivered the landmark breakthrough Indian shooting enthusiasts had awaited for generations. The Indian women’s skeet trio-comprising Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal-clinched a historic bronze medal.
This was far more than an ordinary podium finish. It marks India’s maiden Asian Games medal in the women’s skeet team event. The Indian trio recorded a cumulative aggregate of 331 points. Raiza and Parinaaz each contributed 111 points out of 125, while Maheshwari added a solid 109 to cement the team’s spot on the podium.
On the very same day, the Indian men’s skeet team matched this achievement by securing a bronze of their own. The men’s trio of Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill totaled 346 points to climb the podium. Consequently, Indian skeet shooting captured two continental bronze medals on a single day.
Yet the journey of the women’s squad holds a distinct significance. These three athletes did not merely claim a medal; they opened an unprecedented competitive pathway that will inspire and guide future generations of Indian shotgun shooters.
A Three-Day Crucible with Unrelenting Pressure to the Final Shot
In competitive skeet, athletes must shatter dynamic, fast-moving clay targets launched into the air. Throughout this Asian Games competition, all three members of the Indian women’s team navigated a rigorous five-round qualification phase. Each shooter fired at a maximum potential score of 125 targets.
India remained firmly in medal contention from the opening series. Holding their nerve under acute pressure in the final rounds, the squad posted an aggregate of 331 points to secure third place. China captured the gold medal, while Kazakhstan took silver.
The defining strength of the Indian team was the balanced contribution from each member. Identical scores of 111 from Raiza and Parinaaz, paired with Maheshwari’s 109, proved decisive in elevating India onto the continental podium.
Who Is Maheshwari Chauhan, the Pioneer Who Made Shooting Her Calling?
Born on July 4, 1996, in Siana, Rajasthan, Maheshwari Chauhan is a recognized pioneer in Indian skeet shooting. She took up the sport during her teenage years, supported by an athletic family environment and encouraged by the guidance of her grandfather.
Maheshwari represented India across international junior circuits before establishing herself as a regular in the senior national squad. Her refined technique, composure, and match consistency quickly turned her into a cornerstone of the national setup.
In 2017, she emerged as a leading figure in Indian shotgun sports by becoming one of the earliest Indian women to secure an individual medal at the Asian Shotgun Championships. She went on to represent the country regularly across major international events.
A defining milestone of her career unfolded at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Maheshwari made history as a member of India’s inaugural women’s skeet contingent. In the mixed skeet team event, she agonizingly missed the bronze medal by a single point to finish fourth, while also competing in the women’s individual skeet competition.
Her Asian Games bronze now adds a chapter of achievement to her career.
Raiza Dhillon’s Ascent: Paternal Inspiration and Early Stardom
Born on April 20, 2004, Raiza Dhillon hails from Haryana and stands out among India’s brightest young shotgun talents. She took up shooting at the age of sixteen, inspired by the sporting enthusiasm of her father, Ravijeet Singh Dhillon.
Raiza made an immediate mark internationally during her junior years. At the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru, she represented India and claimed a gold medal in the team event. Her consistent scores across both junior and senior competitions kept her in the spotlight.
She also set a national junior record of 122 hits. In 2024, she secured an Olympic quota place for India in women’s skeet ahead of the Paris Games. Her honors include multiple podium finishes across the Asian Championships and ISSF Junior World Cups.
Her performance at the 2026 Asian Games proved pivotal. After scoring 111 in the team qualification to secure bronze, she advanced directly into the individual event final.
An Extensive Record of International Success
Raiza’s record shows a consistent run of medals spanning elite junior tournaments and senior international championships. The team gold at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima was among her earliest major breakthroughs.
In 2023, she won individual silver at the ISSF Junior World Championship in Changwon. That same year brought further success at the Asian Championships, where she claimed mixed team gold alongside individual silver in women’s junior skeet.
At the 2024 Asian Championship in Kuwait, she earned individual silver in women’s skeet and added a mixed team bronze. In 2025, she secured back-to-back silver medals at ISSF Junior World Cups in Suhl and New Delhi.
This record shows that her bronze in Nagoya was not a stroke of sudden fortune, but the culmination of years of preparation and competition.
Parinaaz Dhaliwal: From Trap to Skeet Mastery
Born on November 30, 2001, in Patiala, Parinaaz Dhaliwal’s path in shotgun shooting is equally compelling. She began her training in 2015 at the New Moti Bagh Gun Club. She initially trained in the trap discipline before switching to skeet, finding its speed and angles more challenging and engaging.
That transition redirected her career.
After establishing herself on the junior circuit, Parinaaz went on to represent India at the ISSF World Cups, Junior World Cups, World Championships, and the Asian Games. In 2019, she claimed the Junior National Championship title.
At the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, she captured silver with the women’s skeet team. She followed that in 2022 with a team bronze at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl. Her Asian Games bronze in Nagoya now stands as one of the crowning achievements of her career.
Prior Asian Games Experience and Growth
The Asian Games arena was familiar territory for Parinaaz, who previously represented India at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. At that edition, the Indian women’s skeet team placed fourth, narrowly missing the podium. Within four years, the squad progressed from a fourth-place finish to a podium spot, securing a historic medal.
All three shooters played a role in this turnaround. Raiza and Maheshwari’s international experience combined with Parinaaz’s steady shooting to give India a competitive edge.
Individual Final Appearances for Raiza and Parinaaz
The squad’s competitive run did not conclude with the team bronze. Both Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal qualified for the women’s individual skeet final after shooting identical scores of 111. Official records placed Raiza eighth and Parinaaz ninth in the qualifying standings, while Maheshwari missed the qualification cutoff with 109 points.
In the individual medal round, Raiza finished fourth overall, while Parinaaz exited in eighth place. Raiza registered 23 hits in the final, finishing just outside the individual bronze medal position.
Their runs showed that alongside their collective team podium, both Indian shooters could compete at the top of the individual field.
Understanding the Discipline of Skeet Shooting
Skeet shooting requires competitors to break moving circular clay discs, known as clay targets or clay pigeons, launched at high speed across the layout. Targets are released from two dedicated stations-the high house and the low house-flying along predetermined crossing trajectories. Shooters must track the target’s speed, calculate lead, and fire within fractions of a second, with each clean break awarding one point.
The sport demands sustained mental concentration, fast reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and precise shotgun handling. Across several qualification rounds, shooters fire at dozens of targets, with the highest aggregate hit counts advancing through the field.
A momentary lapse in focus can alter an entire scorecard. In the team format, scores from all three shooters are combined into a final aggregate. For India, balanced scoring across the trio proved decisive in securing the bronze medal.
Men’s Skeet Trio Delivers Synchronized Bronze
Complementing the women’s performance, the Indian men’s skeet team secured a bronze medal with an aggregate score of 346 points.
Anantjeet Singh Naruka led the scoring with 119 hits, supported by Mairaj Ahmad Khan’s 116 and Bhavtegh Singh Gill’s 111. Anantjeet also advanced to the individual men’s final. With both the men’s and women’s squads standing on the podium, September 23 concluded as a historic day for Indian skeet shooting.