Who is Suruchi Singh? The 19-year-old, with 5 World Cup golds in one season, went from 26th in the 10m air pistol individual to Asian Games gold in the mixed

Suruchi Singh, left, and Kamaljeet celebrate after winning the gold medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol final (PTI Photo) Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet won India’s first shooting gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after a stunning performance in the mixed team event.Kamaljeet and Suruchi shot a total of 484.6 in the final. They were followed by South Korea’s Suhyeon Hong and Gaeun Choo, who finished second with 478.0. The Korean pair trailed Kamaljeet and Suruchi by 6.6 points to underline the Indian duo’s dominance in the final.Iran won the bronze medal with 415.8.But Suruchi’s road to the gold medal at the Asian Games was far from easy. The 19-year-old hails from a humble family in Haryana, and when TimesofIndia.com spoke to her coach Suresh Singh last year, he recalled how he had agreed to train her, but only after setting his own terms.

From Jhajjar Fields to the Shooting Range

Born in Jhajjar, Haryana, Suruchi hails from a humble family. Her coach, Suresh Singh, has previously recalled how the young girl remains closely connected to her roots, helping with chores at home and even operating farm machinery.“If she was not at the World Cup today, she would have been at home harvesting wheat,” Suresh told TOI.When Suruchi and her father Inder Singh first met the coach, her father made his priority clear: he wanted his daughter to learn discipline in addition to sports. Suresh agreed to take her on, but on the condition that Suruchi would have to follow his system rather than just focus on pulling the trigger.This decision changed her career.Suruchi won medals at the 2022 and 2023 national championships and had a spectacular breakthrough in 2024 when she won seven gold medals at the national championship in Delhi. She followed it up with two more gold medals at the Uttarakhand National Games.In 2025, Suruchi began making headlines on the ISSF World Cup circuit, winning individual gold medals in Lima, Buenos Aires and Munich.

A ritual before every big game

Despite her international success, Suruchi has maintained one habit that keeps her connected to the person who helped shape her career. He calls the coach before the competition. Even at major international events, she contacted Suresh minutes before entering the shooting range.“Sir, I have five minutes before I go in, what should I do?” she would ask.The Asian Games gold also reflected the mentality that Suruchi had developed over the years of training. If she decides to fire 150 shots during practice and the last shot doesn’t land where she wants it, Suruchi doesn’t just pack up and leave. He keeps shooting until he gets the desired result.

Asian Games gold completes another breakthrough

The road to Friday’s gold was not entirely smooth. Suruchi finished 26th in the women’s 10m individual air pistol qualification at the Asian Games, while India missed out on a medal in the women’s team event as well.But the mixed team event offered another opportunity.Suruchi and Kamaljeet got hold of it. They topped the qualifiers before carrying that momentum into the final. Their 484.6 points gave them a clear lead over South Korea and secured India’s first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games.