August 26, 2023, is now marked in gold in the annals of Indian sports history. The men's 10m air rifle shooting team took home India's first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games. This wasn't just a victory, but a monumental send-off that shattered the existing world record. The team comprising of Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar surpass the previous record set by China at the Baku World Championship. 

A Remarkable Outrun 

The combined scores of the Indian trio accumulated to a record-breaking 1893.7 points, higher than the previous world record. They stood unchallenged above teams from South Korea and China, who managed to score 1890.1 and 1888.2 points respectively. Each team member contributed significantly to this achievement with Rudrankksh scoring 631.6 points, Aishwary's 631.6 points, and Divyansh contributing 629.6 points to the gold. The golden glory didn't end here. Each of our shooters made it to the top-8 in the 10m Air Rifle event. But due to the Asian Games mandate that allows only two participants from each country in the final, Rudrankksh and Aishwary advanced, while Divyansh had to bow out despite a strong performance.

"A moment of resurge for our shooters who emerged from a weak opening, continuously refined their performance across subsequent series, and broke the world record by the sixth series."

Hurdles arrived during the initial series when Rudrankksh and Divyansh delivered 104.8 points each, and Aishwary fell slightly short with 104.1 points. Yet, they remained undeterred, steadily reviving their performance - and what a comeback it was! They finished the sixth series with a stellar 1893.7 points, setting a new world record.

India Shines with Five Medals on Opening Day at Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games

On top of the groundbreaking success in the team event, India celebrated a progressive head start in the tournament. The efforts led to a sterling start with five medals on the first official day - a gold, three silvers, and a bronze. Not to forget, the Women's 10m Air Rifle team also secured a silver in the inaugural medal for India at Hangzhou 2023. 

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