Nagoya: Parth Mane may have felt his qualification performance fell short of expectations, but the Indian shooter chose to focus on the lessons from the experience after securing his maiden Asian Games medal in the men’s 10m air rifle team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The silver medal holds particular significance for Mane, as it is not only his first medal at the Asian Games but also his first-ever medal at a senior event. The 21-year-old was part of the Indian team that finished second in the event, adding another milestone to his transition from junior to senior competition.
Mane admitted that his qualification round did not unfold as he had expected. Rather than allowing the performance to overshadow the result, however, the youngster said he had taken useful lessons from it that could help him in the competitions ahead.
“Qualification was not that good, not what I expected but definitely I have taken good learnings from this and the learnings will help me in the next matches,” Mane told IANS.
“It’s very important for me, and it’s also very special for me because it’s my first medal in Asian Games as well as my first-ever senior event medal. So definitely something special for me,” he added.
The medal marks another step in a journey that has seen Mane make the difficult transition from junior-level shooting to the senior circuit. He won gold at the Junior World Championship in 2024, but moving into senior competition presented a different challenge, particularly in matching the scores required at the highest level.
“There are definitely ups and downs, and I have experienced them too. I won the gold medal at the Junior World Championship in 2024; after that, I moved up to senior events. Initially, it was hard for me to reach that score and to compete at the level of senior competitors.”
Mane credited the people around him for helping him bridge that gap, saying the support of his coach and team helped him develop both the required performance level and the mindset to compete against established senior shooters.
“But with the help of my coach and my entire team, I achieved that score. I developed the mindset needed to achieve that score. So my team and my coach have played a very big role in my journey, and my parents have too. My parents have supported me a lot from the start of my journey. They never asked me a single question about anything,” he stated.
For Mane, the Asian Games silver is therefore more than an addition to his medal cabinet. It represents progress through a transition that has tested him since his breakthrough at junior level, while the experience in Aichi-Nagoya has given him another opportunity to learn against senior opposition.
Asked who he would dedicate the medal to, Mane had no hesitation. “Definitely my parents and my coach.”
IANS
