Shooting Nationals: Haryana's Suruchi Shines with Three Gold Medals in Women’s Air Pistol

New Delhi, Dec 20 (NationPress) The Haryana teenager Suruchi emerged as the standout performer of the day, achieving a remarkable triple gold in the women’s air pistol events at the ongoing 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) 2024 held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in the capital on Friday.

As the daughter of an army veteran from Jhajjar, Suruchi began her journey in shooting just five years ago at the same range where double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker trained. She celebrated her first senior national title by scoring 243.1 in the women’s 10m air pistol final, further enhancing her accolades by clinching both the junior and youth titles, marking a truly memorable event. This triumph also surpassed her previous silver medal performance in women’s air pistol during past nationals.

Suruchi entered the eight-woman final as the top qualifier, having secured a solid 585 in the qualifications. The final field included several seasoned competitors, including Olympian Rhythm Sangwan, reigning Asian Games champion Palak, India international Divya T.S., and junior world champion Sainyam.

Demonstrating confidence from the start, the Haryana shooter managed to maintain her lead throughout the 24-shot final. As eliminations commenced after the 12th shot, she produced just three mid to high 9s in her last 12 shots, leaving state mate Rhythm a significant 5.7 points behind in second place, with Krushnali Rajput from Maharashtra finishing third.

In the junior final, Chandigarh’s Sainyam posed a tougher challenge, yet Suruchi secured victory with a score of 245.1, finishing 3.4 points ahead. Her most impressive performance came in the youth final, where she scored 245.5, an impressive 6.3 points ahead of silver medalist Sanskriti Bana from Uttar Pradesh, with Palak taking the bronze.

Reflecting on her outstanding day, Suruchi remarked, “It is certainly a most memorable day. Winning my first senior national title and achieving three golds in one day is truly special. My focus now is on shooting, shooting, and more shooting in the days ahead.”