Sift Kaur Samra creates history with double gold at Asian Shooting Championships 2025

PTC Web Desk: India’s shooting sensation Sift Kaur Samra etched her name in history on Tuesday by clinching the country’s first-ever individual gold medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the 16th Asian Shooting Championships in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

The 22-year-old shooter delivered a composed and commanding performance, scoring 459.2 points to claim the top spot. China’s Yujie Yang finished a close second with 458.8, while Japan’s Misaki Nobata secured bronze with 448.2.

India’s Ashi Chouksey, who also made it to the eight-shooter final, finished seventh with 402.8. Interestingly, both Samra and Chouksey had entered the final in strong positions after impressive qualification rounds. Samra had qualified second, while Chouksey stood fifth, though they later advanced to the final as first and fourth respectively. Another Indian, Shriyanka Sadandi, topped the qualification round but competed in the Ranking Points Only (RPO) category, which excluded her from medal contention.

The golden run did not stop there. Earlier in the day, Samra combined forces with Ashi Chouksey and veteran shooter Anjum Moudgil to secure the team gold medal in the same event. The Indian trio aggregated 1753 points (Samra 589, Chouksey 586, Moudgil 578), narrowly edging past Japan (1750) and South Korea (1745).

Minister of Labour and Employment and Minister of Youth Affairs Dr Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the achievement, calling it a “historic moment” as Samra became the first Indian woman to secure an individual gold medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the Asian Championships.