India has discovered a promising new talent in shooting—19-year-old Suruchi Singh. After winning back-to-back gold medals at ISSF World Cups and making headlines at the National Games, she is now seen as a major competitor to two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.
Dominating the ISSF World Cup
Suruchi delivered a stunning performance at the ISSF World Cup held in Lima, Peru. In the 10m air pistol individual event, she beat Manu Bhaker to clinch the gold medal. Later, she paired up with Saurabh Chaudhary in the mixed team event. Together, they defeated China’s Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu with a score of 17-9 in the final.
This gold in Lima marked Suruchi’s second straight individual World Cup win. She had earlier claimed her first World Cup gold in Argentina this year. In the final match in Lima, she scored 243.6 points—1.3 points more than Bhaker—who had to settle for silver. Yao Qianxun from China took the bronze medal.
Speaking to The Indian Express after her big win, Suruchi shared her passion and goals:
“I love winning gold medals and always try to improve myself. I don’t compete with others, only with myself. This is just the beginning of World Cup golds. If I can do in finals what I do in practice, then Olympic gold will not be far,” she said.
A Shooting Prodigy from Haryana
Suruchi hails from Sisroli village in Jhajjar district, Haryana. She became nationally known in 2023 after winning six gold medals across the youth, junior, and senior categories in the 10m air pistol event at the National Shooting Championships. Her standout performance included a score of 585.
Renowned coach and former national shooter Shimon Sharif praised her abilities in an interview with Firstpost. He mentioned that Suruchi consistently scores in the same range as Olympic-level shooters.
“I don’t want to name any star athlete, because everyone knows the stars. But, one name that you should keep in mind is that of an athlete called Suruchi. She has been registering some really high scores. She shot a 585 at the Nationals, where she won both the youth, junior and senior gold medals in the 10m Air Pistol,” Sharif said.
He also noted her consistency in other competitions, even those not held by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
“There was another competition, which wasn’t organised by the NRAI, where she performed extremely well, registering the same score – 585. Then in the (selection) trials, she shot very well again, shooting around 586 (in qualification round),” he added.
With her talent and mindset, Suruchi Singh is quickly becoming a name to watch in Indian shooting, and possibly on the Olympic stage in the future.