Two journeys, one golden shot from Haryana to Asian Games

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Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet overcame different beginnings and trained in Haryana before teaming up for mixed-team shooting gold at Aichi-Nagoya

Chandigarh, September 25

Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet, two shooters from Haryana, won the mixed-team gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a record score of 484.6.

Suruchi, born in Sasroli village in Jhajjar district, initially faced the prospect of pursuing wrestling. Her father, Havildar Inder Singh, wanted her to take up the sport, but she was not interested. Following a minor collarbone injury, she moved towards shooting.

At 13, her father took her to Bhiwani, where she took up a pistol and developed an interest in shooting. She grew up in Jhajjar and trained at the same academy as Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.

Suruchi’s first and current mentor is Suresh Singh at the Guru Dronacharya Shooting Academy in Bhiwani. Her achievements include seven gold medals at the 2024 National Championships in Delhi and two gold medals at the National Games in Uttarakhand.

In 2025, Suruchi won three consecutive individual gold medals on the ISSF World Cup circuit in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich. She also won mixed-team gold with Saurabh Chaudhary at the Lima World Cup.

She capped the season by winning the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, where she shot 245.1 in the 10-m air pistol final to set a junior world record.

Kamaljeet, born in Sulkha village of Rewari district, initially aimed to join the Indian Army. He trained in athletics for the Army’s physical fitness tests before an injury ended those plans.

In 2019, his uncle Dinesh Sohlot took the then 15-year-old to a local shooting range. His uncle took a loan to buy his first shooting equipment, while his early coach Shaktipal and others helped with his training expenses.

Kamaljeet’s breakthrough came at the 2023 ISSF Junior World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, where he won individual and team gold in the 50-m pistol.

He later moved into the senior circuit and won team silver in the 50-m pistol at the 2025 ISSF World Championships in Cairo.

At the 2026 Asian Shooting Championships in New Delhi, he won individual silver in the 50-m pistol. He then added mixed-team gold at the Asian Games alongside Suruchi, completing a journey that took both shooters from Haryana’s training ranges to the top of the Asian Games podium.