In a sport where precision meets pressure, 18-year-old Suruchi Phogat has emerged as India’s latest shooting prodigy, stunning the global shooting community with a commanding gold-medal victory at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires.
The young pistol shooter, hailing from Sasroli village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, has been on an unstoppable streak this season. After sweeping the senior, junior, and youth categories at the National Championships and bagging gold at the National Games, her meteoric rise has drawn inevitable comparisons to double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker—who, in fact, was also Suruchi’s early inspiration and training mate.
But on Tuesday, 1st April 2025, the narrative belonged entirely to Suruchi. Displaying composure and confidence far beyond her years, she topped the qualification round with a remarkable 583 points and then delivered a masterclass in the finals. After an initial slow start, she hit her stride with bold, clinical shooting—registering near-perfect 10.7 and 10.8 shots—and seized the lead with a 10.1 on her 13th shot, a lead she never surrendered. Her final score of 244.6 points was well ahead of China’s Qian Wei (241.9) and Jiang Ranxin (221.0), both experienced Olympians and formidable competitors.
“I came here with good domestic scores and felt no pressure,” she said, her voice steady, mirroring the calm focus she carries on the range. “Winning my first World Cup gold feels nice, but I have a long way to go.”
Her journey into the world of competitive shooting began in 2019, when her father, Inder Singh, a retired Army man, introduced her to sports through wrestling. An early injury altered her course—but what appeared to be a setback became a redirection. She soon found herself drawn to the world of shooting, where under coach Suresh Singh’s watchful eye and rigorous training methods, she began to excel.
Suruchi’s rise wasn’t a flash in the pan. In 2023, she clinched a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, and since then, she has consistently posted high scores across both domestic and international competitions. Her ability to remain focused under pressure, combined with a mature understanding of the technical demands of pistol shooting, sets her apart from her peers.
Her father proudly shared that in the weeks leading up to Buenos Aires, Suruchi distanced herself from distractions, choosing to disconnect from her phone and social media to train in isolation. “She is very disciplined,” Inder Singh said. “Her eyes were only on the target—literally and metaphorically.”
With the Paris Olympics now part of history, Suruchi's performance signals the dawn of a new Olympic cycle—one where India may have found its next shooting sensation. Coaches, experts, and fans alike now look to her as a central figure in the country’s preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. A new chapter in Indian shooting has begun—and it carries the name Suruchi Phogat, a girl with grit, grace, and a golden shot.