Fourth place is often called the cruellest finish in sport, and India has already experienced it twice in the shooting range at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
## Women’s 10m Air Pistol Team
Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Singh finished fourth in the women’s 10m air pistol team event, missing bronze to Vietnam by just two inner-10 shots after both teams tied on 1719 points, one of the tightest finishes of the Games so far.
## Mixed 10m Air Rifle Team
Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team final with 376.3 points, despite qualifying second with 634.6. China won gold with a world-record 507.1 points, well clear of the field, while South Korea and Japan claimed silver and bronze. Our full breakdown of that campaign digs deeper into what went wrong.
## A Recurring Story for India
Fourth-place finishes have become an unwelcome pattern for Indian shooters, echoing Mirabai Chanu’s own heartbreak at Hangzhou 2023, where she narrowly missed a weightlifting medal after an injury disrupted her final lift. For more context on how this pattern has shaped India’s current campaign, see our feature exploring why India keeps missing out on medals in Nagoya.
## Why Fourth Place Hurts More
Unlike finishing fifth or sixth, a fourth-place finish means an athlete was in genuine medal contention until the very end, making the eventual result feel far more painful than the placing alone might suggest. Both of India’s fourth-place finishes in Nagoya came down to fractions of a point.
## What It Means Going Forward
With shooting events continuing through October 1, India’s shooters have further chances to convert these near-misses into podium finishes before their campaign in Nagoya concludes, and the psychological lessons from these close calls could prove valuable in future finals.