Asian Games: President Murmu congratulates skeet duo, Seema on historic bronze medals

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday congratulated shooters Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal and long-distance runner Seema Kumari after the trio secured bronze medals for India at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

President Murmu hailed Naruka and Parinaaz for their historic achievement in the skeet mixed team event, which brought India its first-ever medal in the discipline at the Asian Games.

“My heartiest congratulations to Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Anantjeet Singh Naruka on winning the Bronze Medal in the Skeet Mixed Team event at the Asian Games 2026. This is India’s first-ever medal in the Skeet Mixed Team event at the Asian Games. The duo displayed excellent teamwork and consistency, adding to India’s strong performance in Skeet at the Games. My best wishes to both of you for many more successes in the years ahead,” President Murmu wrote in a post on X.

Naruka and Parinaaz finished with 44 hits from 48 shots in the final, level with South Korea, but Korea took silver on the tie-breaker based on the qualifying scores. China won gold with 45 hits.

The Indian pair produced a perfect eight from eight in their final series to finish on 44 and secure the bronze.

President Murmu also congratulated Seema after she won bronze in the women’s 10,000m, ending India’s 16-year wait for a medal in the event at the Asian Games.

“Warm congratulations to Seema Kumari on securing the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games 2026. Your remarkable performance has ended India’s 16-year wait for a medal in this event. This is a memorable milestone in your sporting journey and a moment of immense pride,” President Murmu wrote.

Seema clocked 32:50.05 to finish third behind Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, who won gold in 32:39.18, and Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who took silver in 32:41.54.

The Indian had made a strong start to the race and led the field through the opening 2,000 m before slipping to fourth as the pace increased. She moved back into third with 1,000 m remaining and held on to secure the bronze.

Seema’s medal made her the only third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the women’s 10,000 m, after Preeja Sreedharan’s gold and Kavita Raut’s silver in 2010.

–IANS

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