NAGOYA/GURGAON: For Kamaljeet (23) and Suruchi Singh (20), the journey to the 2026 Asian Games podium was marked by multiple twists and turns. The duo from Haryana, who on Friday bagged the gold for India in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, took paths that were forged in pain — but relieved by unwavering support from their families.Coming from a modest agricultural family in Rewari’s Sulkha village, Kamaljeet initially showed promise in athletics, but injury forced a change of plans.In 2019, his uncle, Shakti Pal, who runs a shooting range, persuaded him to give it a shot. He scored 372 out of 400 at his debut state championship three months later.Then tragedy struck. A vehicle hit the auto he was taking to practice, father Rati Ram Sohlot told TOI, killing three people. A bone in his left leg was shattered.But even as he was confined to his charpoy, a determined Kamaljeet set up a target on his bedroom wall and practised for hours, sometimes till 1-2am.Barely 25 days after the accident, the national shooting trials were held in Bhopal. Despite the pain, Kamaljeet was determined to go.“He kept telling us that if he could hold the air pistol, he could compete. We arranged for him to travel by air,” said his father.
Kamaljeet, Suruchi ride crest of a wave
When Covid-19 hit a year later, Kamaljeet transformed the family farm into a makeshift training facility, filling sacks with dirt to make a target range.For Suruchi too, the move to shooting came from an injury. The youngster from Jhajjar had trained to be a wrestler for three years, but a broken collarbone ended that dream in 2013. Her father, an Army veteran, then took her to a shooting range.In 2018, Suruchi started training at Dronacharya Shooting Academy in Bhiwani. But the hours of travel to get to practice while balancing her studies started taking a toll on her. Suruchi’s family then reorganised their routine to support her.“We decided to install an electronic target at home,” father Inder Singh said. “I started personally monitor her practice and make sure she remained focused. She slowly became more confident.”The medals piled up, including five World Cup golds. But both Kamaljeet and Suruchi got off to a disastrous start at the 2026 Asian Games.After finishing ninth and missing the individual final in the morning, Kamaljeet was told he would replace Kedarnling Balakrishna Uchagavne in the mixed team event. Suruchi, too, finished a disappointing 26th in the individual qualification.Together, however, they represented the script. The duo topped qualification with 587-29x, setting an Asian and Asian Games qualifying record. In the final, they set another Asian record of 484.6.Their dominance was underlined by a 6.6-point winning margin over South Korea’s Yoonheong Hong and Gaeun Choo, who took silver with 478. Iran’s Vahid Golkhahand and Haniyeh Rostamiyan won bronze with 415.8.“I can’t describe my feelings right now. Last night, I was crying in my room and today we have set a new Asian record,” said Kamaljeet.“I was earlier very upset and sad,” added Suruchi. “I kept thinking about what happened. I had never expected to score almost 20 less than my average, which was unacceptable, especially in qualifications.”That’s when coach and Olympian Samresh Jung stepped up and told Suruchi: “You are a true athlete only when you go back up from down.” She certainly did.Kamaljeet said he was looking forward to celebrating with his family. But back at his village, the party has already begun.“There is music, sweets are being distributed, everyone is congratulating us. This is not only Kamaljeet’s medal. The whole village has watched his struggle,” said his father.His coach said Kamaljeet’s success showed the children there that they could dream big.
