Pakistan’s shooters endured a disappointing outing at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, where medal hopes faded despite strong efforts from the country’s top marksmen and women.
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Sulaiman Khan, competing in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle, finished 37th out of 48 with an aggregate of 618.0. The event was dominated by Kazakhstan’s Islam Satpayev, who clinched gold with 250.1, while China’s Dingke Lu and South Korea’s Hajun Park secured silver and bronze respectively.
Earlier, two-time Olympian Gulfam Joseph placed 18th in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol with 577—22x, while compatriot Shahzaib Ahmed managed 34th with 569—13x. Pakistan’s most promising prospect, Kishmala Talat, narrowly missed out on the Women’s 10m Air Pistol final after finishing 11th in the qualifiers with a total of 576—20x, just outside the top eight cutoff.
In the Men’s Skeet, Pakistan’s trio also struggled to make an impact. Imam Haroon finished 36th with 108, Shameil Khan 40th with 106, and Zahid Tufail 44th with 101. In the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, Kishmala and Gulfam placed 14th with 573—19x, while Rasam Gul and Shahzaib ended 19th with 565—12x.
The results mark a stark contrast from last year’s historic campaign, when Kishmala became the first Pakistani woman to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics after claiming silver in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol and bronze in the Mixed Team event with Gulfam.
This time, however, Pakistan’s shooters will return home without a podium finish, highlighting the growing competitiveness of the regional shooting stage.
