Two shooters, one target, zero margin for error — and India struck gold again. Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet delivered a composed, clinical performance in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the Asian Games 2026, securing the country's second gold medal of the Games. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to X on Friday, 25 September 2026 to celebrate the feat.

Pradhan described it as 'a sharp display of focus, confidence and composure,' calling it 'a proud moment for Indian sport.' The tribute, brief but pointed, underscored how shooting has become one of the most dependable columns in India's continental medal ledger.

Shooting's standing as India's continental gold mine

The discipline has long punched above its weight for India at the Asian Games. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, India amassed a record 107 medals overall, with shooting events contributing multiple golds to that historic haul. The 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team format — combining precision marksmanship with split-second synchronisation between partners — is precisely the kind of event where Indian shooters have repeatedly shown they can outlast the field.

Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet's performance adds to that lineage. A mixed team event demands that two athletes function as a single unit under pressure: one shaky trigger finger, one lapse in breathing, and the gold slips away. It didn't.

Why a minister from Education is leading the cheer

Pradhan's portfolio is education, not sports — but in Indian politics, a gold medal is everyone's occasion. Senior ministers across portfolios routinely amplify sporting victories on social media, and Pradhan's post fits a well-established pattern of government voices mobilising national pride around elite athletic achievement.

Behind that social-media enthusiasm sits real policy architecture. Government support for India's top athletes flows through programmes like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which provides funded training, equipment and international exposure to medal-potential athletes — including shooters. The infrastructure that puts Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet on a medal podium is, in part, a product of that sustained institutional backing.

India's medal count — and what comes next

With two golds already on the board, India's 2026 Asian Games campaign is off to a strong start. Shooting, athletics, wrestling, and combat sports typically drive the bulk of India's medal haul at the Games, and each event day brings fresh contenders into the frame. The question now is whether the momentum from the shooting range carries into the arenas and tracks that follow.

Two golds in, the target is set. India is shooting for more.