Not every Indian athlete’s Asian Games campaign has reached the medal rounds in Nagoya. Several competitors across shooting and swimming were eliminated at the qualification stage, unable to progress to their respective finals.
## Shooting Near-Misses
In the women’s 10m air pistol event, only Manu Bhaker advanced to the final among India’s three entrants. Esha Singh finished 15th in qualification with 572-20x, while Suruchi Singh ended 26th with 568-12x, with only the top eight shooters progressing.
## A Tough Day in the Pool
India’s swimmers endured a difficult stretch in the heats. Rohit Benedicton finished 13th overall in the men’s 100m butterfly with a time of 53.08 seconds, missing the final, while training partner Sajan Prakash did not start his heat at all.
– Aneesh Sunil: 11th overall in the men’s 200m freestyle heats (1:51.20)
– Vedaant Madhavan: 13th overall in the same event (1:52.01), with only the top 10 advancing
## A Rare Bright Spot
Not every swimming story ended in disappointment. India’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team of Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston and Dhanush Suresh did qualify for their final after finishing fourth in their heat, seventh overall, a small consolation amid a difficult week in the pool. For a fuller breakdown of India’s swimming campaign, see our dedicated results roundup.
## Why Qualification Rounds Matter
At a Games as deep as this one, with the world’s best Asian competitors across every discipline, even narrowly missing a final can end a medal dream before it begins. For more on the athletes who did reach medal rounds but still came up short, see our look at India’s athletes who missed out on medals at these Games.
## The Bigger Picture
These qualification-stage exits are a reminder of just how competitive the modern Asian Games field has become, particularly in swimming and shooting, where China, Japan and South Korea continue to set an extremely high bar.