Asian Games 2023: Historic win in shooting for India as Sift Kaur wins Gold, Ashi Chouksey secures bronze

India’s remarkable performance in shooting at the 2023 Asian Games continued as Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey clinched gold and bronze medals, marking a historic achievement for India in the women’s 50m Rifle 3P Final event.

On Wednesday, September 27, Samra displayed her prowess by securing the gold medal with an impressive score of 469.6 points, surpassing the world record of 467 points. Chouksey, not to be outdone, claimed the bronze medal with a score of 451.9 points. Notably, she started from the sixth position but exhibited remarkable skill to climb up to the third spot.

The competition was fierce, and China’s Qiongyue briefly pushed Chouksey into third place with a score of 462.3 points, eventually securing the silver medal. Earlier in the day, Chouksey and Samra were part of the Indian team that triumphed in the women’s 50m Rifle 3P team event. Manini Kaushik was also on the team, contributing to India’s total score of 1764 points. Although they secured the silver medal in the team event, they narrowly missed the gold by nine points, with China taking the top honors. The Republic of Korea claimed the bronze with 1756 points.

Samra had set a new national record of 594 during the qualification round, earning her a spot in the individual final where she ultimately secured the gold. Despite having an identical score, China’s Xia Siyu won the qualification round due to a higher number of inner 10s.

Chouksey also advanced to the individual final, finishing sixth with a score of 590 points. Unfortunately, Kaushik’s performance in the individual event was less successful, as she finished in 18th place with 580 points.

In addition to the success in the women’s 50m Rifle 3P event, India continued its winning streak as Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Rhythm Sangwan secured the gold medal in the women’s 25m rapid-fire pistol team event, narrowly defeating China in a closely-fought contest.

With these impressive victories, India has now matched its medal tally of nine from the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018, showcasing its growing prowess in the sport of shooting at the 2023 Asian Games.