Suruchi Phogat’s meteoric rise in Indian shooting shows no signs of slowing down. The 18-year-old pistol shooter from Haryana, who made waves with an unprecedented seven gold medals at the recent National Shooting Championship, has now added another major title to her growing list of accolades.
At the ongoing National Games in Dehradun, Suruchi delivered yet another sensational performance in Women’s 10m Air Pistol. She topped the qualification round with a score of 585—her third consecutive senior competition achieving this score. She then dominated the final, clinching the gold with a score of 244.3.
Suruchi first hit 585 at the 2024 Kumar Surendra Singh Shooting Championships in June and has since maintained this consistency at the Nationals and now the National Games. With back-to-back senior golds under her belt, she is gearing up for the crucial selection trials in New Delhi, set to take place in just four days. A strong showing there could secure her a spot on the Indian team for international competitions this season.
Meanwhile, fellow Haryana shooter and Asian Games champion Palak Gulia secured silver in the National Games final with 243.6, while Punjab’s Simranpreet Kaur Brar bagged bronze with 218.8.
Hailing from Jhajjar, Haryana—the hometown of double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker—Suruchi trains at the same private academy as her illustrious predecessor. Having already represented India at the junior level, she won a team bronze at the Suhl Junior World Cup in 2023 and finished sixth in the individual category. She has also competed at the Asian Junior Championships in both 2023 and 2024.
As the domestic season heats up, all eyes will be on Suruchi to see if she can extend her winning streak and make her mark on the international stage.