New Delhi, August 26: Shooter Suruchi Inder Singh Phogat has been selected to represent India at the Asian Games 2026. However, her journey from Bhiwani, Haryana, to this prestigious platform has not been easy. Suruchi expresses her pride in representing her country on such a grand stage.
Suruchi’s first encounter with shooting at the Guru Dronacharya Shooting Academy was not driven by a desire for world records. At just 13 years old, she traveled by local train to the academy from her village in Jhajjar district, without any sponsorship or recognition, accompanied by her father and brothers. Now, at 20, she is a junior world record holder, has won multiple ISSF World Cup gold medals, and is among the top contenders for a medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Her journey has been a gradual transformation rather than an overnight success. Reflecting on her early days in Bhiwani, Suruchi recalls, “When I started shooting, no one knew me. I was just an ordinary 13-year-old girl without an Indian jersey. Today, wearing that jersey fills me with immense pride. It signifies how far I have come.”
Shooting was not the sport she was destined for. She stumbled into it by chance and has never looked back. “I am truly grateful that I chose shooting. If I had picked another sport, especially a team game, I might not have reached this point. Shooting has given me the opportunity to achieve something on my own, and I am happy it has brought me here.”
To the outside world, shooting may seem simple—just a shooter standing still and aiming. Suruchi emphasizes that the reality is quite different. “People watch shooting and think, ‘What’s so hard about it? You just stand and shoot.’ They don’t see what’s going on inside you. When every shot counts, controlling your thoughts, breath, and emotions is the real challenge.”
This internal struggle has shaped how she handles days when things do not go as planned. “I don’t just walk away with a medal from a competition. If I don’t win, I look for my mistakes. Perhaps my technique was off, or I missed something. I seek it out, learn from it, and come back stronger. That’s how I improve.”
She credits her continuous progress to the system established by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for its shooters. “NRAI has provided me with much more than just opportunities to compete. The coaching and camps have transformed how I train, prepare, and understand my sport. Because of that support, I have become a more disciplined athlete.”
For Suruchi, the most important aspect is how well they know each other. “The biggest advantage is that our coaches know us very well. They observe us during training, understand our game, and know when something is off. So when we arrive at a competition, they are not trying to understand us for the first time; they already know what we need.”
Her results clearly reflect that support. Suruchi concluded the 2025 season by setting a junior world record at the ISSF World Cup finals in Doha. She maintained her momentum in 2026, winning a mixed team silver medal with Samrat Rana at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in New Delhi. Following that, she achieved a historic ‘one-two finish’ with Esha Singh in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. This performance secured her a spot in the World Cup finals in Rome later this year.
As the Asian Games approach, Suruchi intentionally avoids focusing on the scoreboard. “At the Asian Games, I don’t want to think about the outcome. I just want to fight for every shot, give my 100 percent, and leave the range knowing I gave everything for that medal.”
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