Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey make it a great day at the rifle ranges

Sift Kaur Samra finished with a total score of 469.6 after 15 shots each in the kneeling, prone and standing positions.

Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey make it a great day at the rifle ranges

Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey (Via Open Source/X)

Sift Kaur Samra lent a golden glow to the Indian campaign at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday in the women’s three-position event with a world record to boot. Before that, Sift and her teammates, Ashi Chouksey and Manini Kaushik, won team silver in the 3P event, as the three-position event is known. Ashi also pocketed an individual bronze medal, though at one time it looked like she may have been in the running for individual silver as well.

“I was not aware of the world record and scores. Only after my final was over did I come out and was told I had created a world record,” Sift told FirstSportz. After Ramita Jindal had won two medals in air rifle, this effort from Sift was sensational. “We crave for one medal from 3P, to get two in one day is really big for me. I have no words to express my happiness,” said Sift.

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In a top class final, Sift Kaur Samra showed great technical skills in an event where the rifle shooter had to compete in three parts – kneeling position, prone and standing. Sift had grabbed the advantage with a lead early on in the final itself while Ashi was initially a bit off-color. The key in a charged final like this was to handle pressure.

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“I must thank my family for supporting me, my coach, and everyone else in India. These medals are dedicated to all of them,” said a smiling Sift. For the girl from Punjab who turned 22 recently, the recent blazing run has been good. She had won a quota place for India at the World Championship last month in Baku. So, to sustain this kind of form has not been easy.

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Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey eye Paris now

A lot of shooters feel exhausted. This girl, who first started shooting under Deepali Deshpande, is now rock solid. Before this, she had won a bronze medal earlier this year in the ISSF World Cup in Bhopal. During her junior days as well, Sift had won medals for India.

Asked what kind of help she has gotten from the government and her coaches, Sift was effusive in her praise. “Minus government and out foreign coach (Thomas Farnik) I would not be here today in this happy position.” On her goals ahead, Sift said, “I am definitely looking at the Asian Championship next month and then the Paris Olympics next year.”

(From left) Ashi Chouksey, Manini Kaushik and Sift Kaur Samra after winning silver medal in the Women's 50m Rifle 3P Team event. (Via
From left: Ashi Chouksey, Manini Kaushik, and Sift Kaur Samra after winning the silver medal in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3P Team event. (Via @ddsportschannel/X)

Back to the final, in a high-class field for Sift to finish with a 469.6 score was excellent. Her mental preparation for the match seemed solid. Sift was not scared that the overseas shooters from China and Korea would be stronger.

“It does not feel bad now to drop out of IAS preparations,” said Ashi. For her to also win two medals on this day was a good effort. Ashi had done badly in the kneeling position, the start of the event in the final. However, she made a comeback in the next stage, prone shooting. There was not much of a difference in the overall analysis as she missed silver narrowly. Ashi hails from the Bhopal academy where the Madhya Pradesh government has been supporting a variety of athletes.

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