 "Suruchi Singh recently beat Manu Bhaker in a gold medal match. Image: X")
India has found a new rising star in the world of shooting, Suruchi Singh . With back-to-back gold medals at the ISSF World Cups and a brilliant showing at the National Games, Suruchi is fast becoming a household name. She is even giving serious competition to double-Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.
Suruchi shines for India
Suruchi had a dream outing at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru. She not only won the 10m air pistol individual gold by defeating Manu Bhaker, but also teamed up with Saurabh Chaudhary to grab the mixed team gold medal. The pair beat China’s Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu in the final, scoring 17 to 9.
This is Suruchi’s second consecutive ISSF World Cup individual gold. Earlier this year, she had won her first-ever World Cup gold in Argentina. In the Lima final, Suruchi shot a total of 243.6 points, beating Bhaker by 1.3 points and pushing her to the silver medal spot. China’s Yao Qianxun took the bronze.
After her recent win, Suruchi said in an interview with the Indian Express that she loves winning gold medals and even expressed her desire to win an Olympic gold medal for India.
“I love winning gold medals and always try to improve myself. I don’t compete with others, only with myself. This is just the beginning of World Cup golds. If I can do in finals what I do in practice, then Olympic gold will not be far,” she said.
Who is Suruchi Singh?
Suruchi, a 19-year-old shooter from Sisroli village in Jhajjar district, Haryana, is no stranger to the spotlight. She made headlines in 2023 after winning six National Shooting Championships gold medals in the youth, junior, and senior categories in the 10m air pistol event. She shot a brilliant score of 585 in that event.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsShooting coach and former national player Shimon Sharif has already noticed her talent. In an interview with Firstpost, he pointed out that Suruchi has been regularly shooting scores like 585 and 586 in different events, which is the same level at which Olympic champions perform.
“I don’t want to name any star athlete, because everyone knows the stars. But, one name that you should keep in mind is that of an athlete called Suruchi. She has been registering some really high scores. She shot a 585 at the Nationals, where she won both the youth, junior and senior gold medals in the 10m Air Pistol,” Sharif said.
“There was another competition, which wasn’t organised by the NRAI, where she performed extremely well, registering the same score – 585. Then in the (selection) trials, she shot very well again, shooting around 586 (in qualification round),” he added.