India's Shooting Star Samra Clinches Fourth Asian Championship Gold
- Sift Kaur Samra won the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions gold with 459.2 points, narrowly beating China’s Yang Yujie.
- Samra, Anjum Moudgil, and Ashi Chouksey led India to the team title with a combined 1753 points.
- Samra dominated qualification and final rounds, marking her fourth Asian Championships gold.
India had a memorable day at the Asian Shooting Championships as Olympian Sift Kaur Samra clinched the individual women’s 50m rifle 3 positions gold and guided the team to victory as well.
World record holder Samra delivered a stunning performance, scoring 459.2 in the final to edge out China’s Yang Yujie, who finished with 458.8, claiming the top spot. In the team event, Samra joined forces with seasoned shooter Anjum Moudgil and rising star Ashi Chouksey, and the trio secured the gold with a combined total of 1753 points, ahead of Japan (1750) and South Korea (1745).
This marked Samra’s fourth Asian Championships gold. She had dominated the qualification round, finishing first with a score of 589 to enter the eight-shooter final. Samra’s performance in the final was consistent across positions, with scores of 151.0 and 156.2 in kneeling and prone rounds. In the standing-elimination stage, she remained unstoppable, narrowly beating her Chinese competitor by just 0.4 points. Japan’s Nobata Misaki took the bronze with 448.2 points.
Chouksey, who had qualified fourth, ended seventh in the final with 402.8 points, while Anjum finished 22nd in a competitive field of 41 shooters.
Samra’s leadership was key in the team event, as she set the pace with a 589, supported by Ashi’s 586 and Anjum’s 578. Their combined effort ensured India’s top podium finish.
The day also saw National Games champion Neeru Dhanda shine, winning the women’s trap gold on Monday, adding to India’s growing success in shooting at the championships.
With these performances, India showcased its growing dominance in the sport, driven by a blend of experience and emerging talent, promising more excitement in the ongoing tournament.
