Suruchi, 18, wins WC gold on debut

Pune: Suruchi Singh couldn’t have found a better way to introduce herself to the world. She beat three Chinese women, including double Olympic medallists, for gold in her debut senior World Cup appearance on Tuesday.

Suruchi, 18, displayed a surreal calmness that shook her Chinese competitors as she took the 10m air pistol crown in the Buenos Aires World Cup by scoring 244.6 in the final. China’s Wei Qian took silver with 241.9, while China’s double Olympic medallist Jiang Ranxin settled for bronze with 221. Fourth place was also secured by Chinese shooter Qianxun Yao, who shot 200. Despite shooting against strong Chinese opponents, Suruchi said she remained unnerved throughout the match. “I knew I was shooting well and I didn’t feel any pres sure,” Suruchi told TOI.

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Suruchi first aspired to be a wrestler, an obvious choice for the girl who hails from Jhajjhar in Haryana. “My father always wanted me to be an athlete. So I started with wrestling when I was 11, but within a fewmonths, I fractured my collar bone and had to stay away from the sport for months. After I recovered, my father took m e to a shooting range. I liked the sport from day one,” she said.



Her father Inder Singh said he took voluntary retirement from the Army to look after his children’s training. “Suruchi and my son both shoot and they train in Bhiwani. It takes three hours of travel time every day, so I have to be with the kids. I wanted to focus on their training so I retired from the Army job,” Singh said.


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