KARACHI:
Pakistan has finalised an 11-member shooting contingent, including eight shooters and three officials, for the Asian Games slated to be held in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
The selected shooters are Usman Chand and Imam Haroon in skeet, Farrukh Nadeem in trap, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Mohammad Umar and Mohammad Shabbir in rapid-fire, and Kishmala Talat and Rabia Kabir in pistol.
Russian coach Vladimir Kovalenko will serve as head coach, while Commander Fazal-ul-Bari has been appointed manager. National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) senior official and coach Razi Ahmed Khan said an additional shooter could still be added to the final list.
“Yes, we have also sent a reserve list and an addition can be made to it,” Razi told The Express Tribune.
The shooting squad is currently preparing in Karachi and Jhelum. A training camp was established in Karachi on August 7, but the shooters temporarily moved to Jhelum for trials for next year’s Military Games. They are expected to return to Karachi on August 19 to resume preparations.
Razi said the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has pledged to sponsor half of the shooting contingent’s expenses, with NRAP covering the remaining expenses.
“Yes, the Board will back 50 per cent of our contingent while NRAP will manage the rest,” he said.
Razi believes Pakistan has medal hooes, particularly through Bashir, Farrukh and Kishmala, but acknowledged the difficulty of competing at the Asian Games level.
“The prospects are there, but it all depends on how a shooter delivers on a given day,” he said.
Kishmala became the first Pakistani shooter to win an Asian Games medal when she claimed bronze in the 10m air pistol event at Hangzhou 2023. She will again be among Pakistan’s medal hopes in Japan.
Farrukh won skeet gold at the Asian Championship in Doha earlier this year, while three-time Olympian Bashir won bronze at the 2022 World Championship in Cairo.
