The Asian Games’ medal-winning shooters have expressed hope that their long-standing wish to see an upgraded Karni Singh Shooting Range will be fulfilled after their impressive performance at the showpiece in Hangzhou.

With two more days of shooting events left, the Indians have already produced their best-ever performance in the Asian Games, surpassing the 14 medals they had won in Doha in 2006.

The Indian shooters have so far clinched 18 medals, including six gold, seven silver and five bronze, from the ongoing Games. The shooters now want the best of the facility at the national capital’s Karni Singh Range where they train for a better part of the year, to help them replicate their performance in Hangzhou at next year’s Paris Olympics.

“The Karni Singh Range was made before 2010 Commonwealth Games, so the same range is quite functionable but now we have made better ranges which are there in Bhopal and other places. So we had requested the minister to put on similar kind of range here,” Asian Games gold medal-winning shooter Rudransh Patil told PTI.

“It doesn’t make that much of a difference but it is always good to have better quality as most of the time we train in Karni Singh.

“It is always good to have better quality because most of the time we are training in Karni Singh, it’s the best option to have the best equipment there on the spot,” he added.

Rudransh, who had already secured an Olympic quota for the country, won the team gold in 10m air rifle event at the Asian Games, pairing up with Divyansh Panwar and Aishwarya Singh Tomar. Another Asian Games medal winning shooter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, echoed the same feeling.

“We were just requesting the minister to upgrade the facilities of the new hostel made in Karni Singh Shooting Range. The hostel is new and good but there are some issues which need to be addressed,” the shooter said.

“Besides we have requested the minister to upgrade the Karni Singh Shooting Range. It was done before the Commonwealth Games and has not been upgraded till date. The other ranges in the country are better than this.

“But, as we train in Karni Singh for most part of the year, we want the range to be upgraded.”

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajiv Bhatia said that they have been requesting the ministry for the same since 2016 and hoped the rich medal haul in shooting at Asian Games will help settle the matter.

“It’s not new, we have been talking to SAI (Sports Authority of India) for the upgradation of the facility since 2016-17.

“But I hope, after such a brilliant performance from the shooters at the Asian Games, the ministry will finally pay heed to our plea,” Bhatia told.