By Vipul Kashyap
Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 23 : Indian skeet shooter Raiza Dhillon described the women’s skeet team bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 as a historic achievement, saying the podium finish was the result of the team’s hard work and determination.
Raiza, along with Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan, secured the bronze medal in the women’s skeet team event on Wednesday.
The Indian trio finished third in the women's skeet team event with a combined score of 331. Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal recorded scores of 111 each out of 125, while Maheshwari Chauhan contributed 109 points to India's total. China claimed the gold medal with a score of 346, while Kazakhstan secured the silver medal.
Speaking to ANI after the achievement, Raiza said the team was delighted to return home with a medal after putting in months of hard work.
"I am very happy. We were hoping to head back home with a medal. All of us worked extremely hard to reach here, and I think it’s a historic win for all of us. We were hoping to win in the individual event as well. My teammate and I made it to the final, and we performed well. I think it has just motivated us to do even better next time," Raiza told ANI.
The shooter also expressed confidence about India’s chances of winning more medals in the remaining shooting events at the Asian Games.
"Tomorrow we have the mixed team event. So we will come and cheer for them, and I’m pretty sure they will do really well. Apart from that, many rifle and pistol events are still left, and I'm sure they’ll do really well too," she said.
Raiza dedicated the medal to her parents, supporters and organisations that contributed to her journey.
"I would like to dedicate this medal, of course, to my parents, NRAI, SAI, all my supporters, OGQ, Jindal Steel, and the whole team I have back home," she added.
Highlighting the role of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Raiza said the organisation’s support was crucial in helping athletes prepare at the highest level.
"SAI has helped tremendously—whether it's ammunition, training camps, or clay targets, they provided everything. The advice and technical knowledge we received from our international coaches were possible only because of SAI. So without SAI, this wouldn't have been possible," Raiza said.