{
  "id": 9899059,
  "title": "Shooting the way to the top: The Suruchi Phogat and Kamaljeet Singh story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/shooting-the-way-to-the-top-the-suruchi-phogat-and-kamaljeet-singh",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T03:29:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/asian-games-2026-aichi-prefectural-general-shooting-gallery-suruchi-phogat-kamaljeet-singh-10894626/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Suruchi Singh Phogat and Kamaljeet Singh Singh joined forces to claim the Asian Games mixed 10m air pistol gold medal on Friday, bringing India's tally to two golds in Nagoya. The 20-year-old from Jhajjar, Haryana, is the daughter of retired havildar Inder Singh Phogat, an anti-militant operations specialist who initially introduced her to wrestling. After a collarbone injury derailed her wrestling career, her father enrolled her in shooting under coach Suresh Singh in Bhiwani, who previously trained Paris Olympics double bronze medallist Manu Bhaker.\n\nSuruchi's mother Sudesh Devi expressed immense pride in her daughter's achievement, crediting her father's unwavering support throughout her journey. Suruchi herself acknowledged her parents and national coach Samresh Jung as the backbone of her success. The young athlete entered the Asian Games with a string of World Cup individual golds, a mixed team gold, and two World Cup titles to her name.\n\nKamaljeet Singh, a 23-year-old from Rewari district, took a more unconventional path to Olympic glory. Initially an athlete, he switched to shooting after his uncle introduced him to the sport. In 2023, he earned a spot in the Indian junior team, winning medals at the Junior World Championships and World Cups. Tragically, a road accident in 2023 left him and two co-passengers severely injured, forcing his family to take loans to cover his hospital expenses and training gear. Despite being a financially challenging sport, Kamaljeet's father Ratiram Sohlot, a factory worker, and his coach Shaktipal have consistently backed the 23-year-old, even celebrating their victory with a feast of sweets in Kamaljeet's village. Shaktipal is confident that Kamaljeet's gold medal is just the beginning of a promising career.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Suruchi Phogat, 20, joins Kamaljeet Singh for Asian Games gold",
    "Kamaljeet Singh, 23, overcame road accident to win gold",
    "Both athletes credit parents and coaches for success"
  ],
  "editors_take": "This achievement cements Suruchi Phogat and Kamaljeet Singh's status as rising stars in Indian shooting, vindicating the support of their families and coaches who backed them through challenges and injuries.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}