Shooting ended India’s wait for a second gold medal as Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet produced an incredible performance in the 10m air pistol mixed-team event at the Asian Games. The Indian pair stayed in control throughout the final and finished on top with a score of 484.6 to secure gold for India. The top four pairs qualified for the medal round, but Suruchi and Kamaljeet quickly established themselves as the pair to beat. South Korea’s Suhyeon Hong and Gaeun Choo finished second with 478.0, ending 6.6 points behind the Indian duo. The gap underlined how well Suruchi and Kamaljeet performed when it mattered most, giving India its second gold medal of the Games.
Who is Suruchi Singh?
Suruchi has been making a name for herself on the international shooting circuit with a string of impressive performances in ISSF World Cups in 2025 and 2026. Born on April 28, 2006, in Jhajjar, Haryana, Suruchi took up shooting at the age of 13 after initially trying her hand at wrestling.
Coming from a family with a wrestling background, including her father Havildar Inder Singh, she was encouraged to pursue the sport. But it did not take long for Suruchi to find her calling in shooting, and she soon began making her mark at the junior level.
Her breakthrough came in 2025 when she won three successive individual ISSF World Cup gold medals in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich. She also won gold in the mixed team event at the Lima World Cup. Suruchi capped a memorable 2025 season by winning gold at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, where she set a Junior World Record of 245.1 in the 10m Air Pistol final.
This year, she also followed the 2025 performances with a solid show and won the gold at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, making her one of India’s leading international 10m Air Pistol shooters. She also won silver in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the 2026 Asian Championships.
Also Read – Asian Games: Dominant Suruchi-Kamaljeet win mixed team gold
Who is Kamaljeet?
Kamaljeet also comes from Haryana, from Sulkha in Rewari. He started shooting in 2019 after an injury brought an end to his track and field career. The early years were not easy. Coming from a middle class family, he faced financial problems while trying to build a career in shooting.
He had to take care of his own expenses for coaching, course fees and competitions, and there were moments when he thought about giving up the sport. His parents, though, continued to stand by him and made sure he had what he needed to keep going. Over the next two to three years, Kamaljeet kept pushing through the difficulties and gradually established himself as a competitive shooter.
He first made a mark on the junior international circuit with gold in the 50m Pistol Junior Men event at the 2023 ISSF Junior World Championships in Changwon, South Korea. He then moved up to the senior circuit, competing in both the 10m Air Pistol and 50m Pistol events.