Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh won the mixed team 10m air pistol gold at the Asian Games 2026 on September 25, giving India its first shooting title of the Games. The two Haryana shooters have reached this stage through different journeys, from Suruchi’s early wrestling days to Kamaljeet’s recovery from a serious accident, with international medals along the way.
The Indian pair scored 484.6 points in the final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Japan. Their total was marked as both an Asian record and an Asian Games record in the official results.
South Korea took silver, while Iran finished with bronze. The victory delivered India’s second gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
How Kamaljeet and Suruchi won the gold
India reached the final after finishing first among 21 teams in qualification. Suruchi scored 296 out of 300, and Kamaljeet added 291 for a combined 587.
That score equalled the Asian qualification record and improved the Asian Games qualification record of 577, set by Sarabjot Singh and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju in Hangzhou in 2023.
Their strong start continued in the final. India led after the opening series and stayed ahead through the elimination stages, eventually finishing 6.6 points clear of South Korea.
| Medal | Country | Shooters | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | India | Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamaljeet | 484.6 |
| Silver | South Korea | Choo Gaeun and Hong Suhyeon | 478.0 |
| Bronze | Iran | Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vahid Golkhandan | 415.8 |
Iran’s score was recorded when the team was eliminated in third place. The two remaining teams continued shooting for gold, so the three totals do not cover the same number of shots.
Who are Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh?
Both shooters come from Haryana, but they are from different districts. Suruchi grew up in Jhajjar, while Kamaljeet comes from Rewari.
| Detail | Suruchi Singh | Kamaljeet |
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 28, 2006 | August 22, 2003 |
| Age on September 25, 2026 | 20 | 23 |
| Home village | Sasroli, Jhajjar district, Haryana | Sulkha, Rewari district, Haryana |
| Main international disciplines | 10m air pistol | 10m air pistol and 50m pistol |
| Asian Games 2026 gold | Mixed team 10m air pistol | Mixed team 10m air pistol |
Suruchi appears in international shooting records as Suruchi Inder Singh. Kamaljeet competes under the single name Kamaljeet.
Suruchi Singh’s childhood and shooting journey
Suruchi was born in Sasroli village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district. Her father, Inder Singh, is a retired Army havildar, and her mother, Sudesh Devi, is a homemaker.
Shooting was not the first sport she tried. In an interview with The Tribune, her father explained that she began wrestling at 12, but a collarbone injury brought that phase to an end. Her family then helped her move into shooting.
She began training at the Guru Dronacharya Shooting Academy in Bhiwani under coach Suresh Singh at around 13. Getting to the range meant travelling away from her village regularly, with her father accompanying her for practice.
The costs were another challenge. Her father told The Tribune that the family borrowed money to pay for her pistol and training. Those early years were followed by selection for international junior competitions and, later, success against senior shooters.
Her breakthrough on the World Cup circuit
Suruchi’s progress became especially clear in 2025. She won the women’s 10m air pistol title at the World Cups in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich.
In Lima, she scored 243.6 in the individual final to finish ahead of Manu Bhaker. She also partnered Saurabh Chaudhary to win mixed team gold, beating China’s Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun 17-9 in the medal match.
She ended the year with the women’s 10m air pistol title at the World Cup Final in Doha. Her winning score of 245.1 set a junior world record, even though she was competing in the senior event.
The results continued in 2026. At the Munich World Cup, she won individual gold with 242.1 points, finishing ahead of fellow Indian Esha Singh.
Which medals had Suruchi won before this gold?
The international results below account for 15 medals before the Asian Games victory: seven gold, four silver and four bronze. They include junior, senior, individual and team events, with the categories identified separately.
| Year and competition | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Junior World Cup, Suhl | Junior women’s 10m air pistol team | Silver |
| 2023 Junior World Cup, Suhl | Junior mixed team 10m air pistol with Shubham Bisla | Bronze |
| 2023 Asian Championships, Changwon | Junior women’s 10m air pistol team | Silver |
| 2025 World Cup, Buenos Aires | Women’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
| 2025 World Cup, Buenos Aires | Mixed team 10m air pistol with Saurabh Chaudhary | Bronze |
| 2025 World Cup, Lima | Women’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
| 2025 World Cup, Lima | Mixed team 10m air pistol with Saurabh Chaudhary | Gold |
| 2025 World Cup, Munich | Women’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
| 2025 Asian Championships, Shymkent | Women’s 10m air pistol team | Bronze |
| 2025 Asian Championships, Shymkent | Mixed team 10m air pistol with Saurabh Chaudhary | Bronze |
| 2025 World Championships, Cairo | Women’s 10m air pistol team | Silver |
| 2025 World Cup Final, Doha | Women’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
| 2026 Asian Championships, New Delhi | Women’s 10m air pistol team | Gold |
| 2026 Asian Championships, New Delhi | Mixed team 10m air pistol with Samrat Rana | Silver |
| 2026 World Cup, Munich | Women’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
Adding the gold with Kamaljeet brings this listed international medal collection to 16. This is a count of the results covered here, rather than a combined total of every domestic and international medal she has won.
Her World Cup record also needs a clear distinction. She has five golds at regular senior World Cup events across 2025 and 2026, plus a separate gold at the 2025 World Cup Final. The season-ending Final is a different competition from the regular World Cup stops.
Kamaljeet’s early life and return after injury
Kamaljeet comes from Sulkha village in Haryana’s Rewari district. Born on August 22, 2003, he turned 23 just over a month before his Asian Games gold.
His early sporting ambition was connected to joining the Indian Army. According to The Indian Express’s interviews with his family and coach, he initially trained in athletics before an injury pushed him away from running.
His interest in shooting began in 2019, when his uncle Dinesh Sohlot introduced him to coach Shaktipal. The coach helped with training costs, while relatives supported a family that could not easily afford shooting equipment.
His father, Ratiram, worked as a contract labourer in a paint factory. Kamaljeet initially depended on shared equipment and later used a second-hand pistol.
A serious setback followed in 2023. An autorickshaw accident left him with a fractured thigh bone and a month-long hospital stay. His family borrowed money for treatment, his father told The Indian Express.
He returned to competition and continued building his record in pistol shooting. His Asian Games medal now sits alongside earlier international success in the 50m discipline.
Which medals had Kamaljeet won before this gold?
Kamaljeet’s earlier achievements were mainly in 50m pistol, a separate event from the 10m air pistol competition he won with Suruchi.
At the 2023 Junior World Championships in Changwon, he won the individual 50m pistol title with 544 points. He also shared team gold with Ankait Tomar and Sandeep Bishnoi, whose combined score was 1,617.
He subsequently contributed to India’s senior world team medals, including bronze in Baku in 2023 and silver in Cairo in 2025.
| Year and competition | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Junior World Championships, Changwon | Junior men’s 50m pistol individual | Gold |
| 2023 Junior World Championships, Changwon | Junior men’s 50m pistol team | Gold |
| 2023 World Championships, Baku | Men’s 50m pistol team | Bronze |
| 2024 Lima international competition held alongside the Junior World Championships | Junior men’s 50m pistol team | Gold |
| 2025 World Championships, Cairo | Men’s 50m pistol team | Silver |
| 2026 Asian Championships, New Delhi | Men’s 50m pistol individual | Silver |
| 2026 New Delhi Grand Prix team event held with the Asian Championships | Men’s 50m pistol team | Gold |
These results account for seven earlier international medals: four gold, two silver and one bronze. The Asian Games title adds an eighth medal to this listed collection, without including domestic competitions.
The event labels matter here. The Lima results book lists the 2024 team competition under the International Championship of Peru, while the New Delhi results book marks the 2026 men’s 50m pistol team event as a Grand Prix.
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In the 2026 individual Asian Championships event, Kamaljeet scored 561 to take silver behind Saurabh Chaudhary. For the separate team gold, the two combined with Ravinder Singh.
How does mixed team 10m air pistol work?
Each team has one woman and one man, shooting at targets 10 metres away. Their scores are combined to decide the team’s position.
In qualification at these Games, each shooter fired 30 scoring shots, giving the pair a maximum of 600 points. The leading four teams advanced to the final, where scores started again from zero.
The final used decimal scoring and eliminations. That is why qualification scores such as India’s 587 are different from the decimal totals shown in the medal table. A women’s team medal, meanwhile, comes from a separate competition involving three female shooters rather than a mixed pair.
For Suruchi, the gold adds an Asian Games title to an already successful World Cup career. For Kamaljeet, it is a major 10m air pistol achievement alongside his established 50m results. Together, they have turned two individual journeys into a gold medal for India.
