Teenager Mehr Khaliq had a strong debut at the Asian Shooting Championships with a top 20 finish in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle among a field of 54 participants.

She ranked 18th with a final score of 627.9 and a series breakdown of 103.2, 104.1, 104.2, 105.1, 104.8, 106.5, 627.9. Only the top eight performers make it through to the final.

Mehr’s next event is the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team on Saturday where she’s partnered up with Sulaiman Khan.

India’s veteran markswoman Elavenil Valarivan won gold in the event with a 253.6. She claimed silver in the same event last year and is currently ranked 11 in the world for the Women’s 10m Air Rifle.

China’s Xinlu Peng narrowly fell behind to win silver with a 253.0, while South Korea’s Eunji Kwon bagged bronze with a 231.2.

The Asian Shooting Championships are ongoing in Shymkent, Kazakhstan from August 16-30.

Despite Mehr’s strong performance, Pakistan’s medal hopes remain elusive as the nation’s top shooters missed their marks.

The main hopes for a medal rested with Olympian Kishmala Talat, who narrowly missed the final of the Women’s 10m Air Pistol after finishing 11th in the qualifying round on Tuesday.

In Thursday’s Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Khan finished 37th out of 48 competitors, scoring an aggregate 618.0, with scores of 102.6, 103.4, 101.9, 102.6, 103.1, 104.4.