Olympian and world record holder Sift Kaur Samra produced a spectacular performance at the 16th Asian Shooting Championships on Tuesday, winning double gold medals in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. The Indian shooter was in a class of her own, clinching both the individual and team titles in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event.
In a nail-biting individual final, Samra held her nerve to score a superb 459.2, narrowly edging out China's Yang Yujie, who finished with 458.8, to claim the top spot on the podium. This victory marked her fourth career gold medal at the Asian Championships. The other Indian in the final, Ashi Chouksey, finished in a respectable seventh place.
Samra's path to the final showcased her commanding form. She entered the eight-shooter final as the top-ranked competitor with a qualification score of 589. She and teammate Ashi Chouksey were the two Indian finalists eligible for medals, after another Indian shooter who topped the qualification round was competing in a non-medal (Ranking Points Only) category.
Earlier in the day, Samra had already secured her first gold by leading the Indian women's team to victory. She teamed up with stalwart Anjum Moudgil and Ashi Chouksey to score an aggregate of 1753 points. Their combined effort was enough to push Japan (1750) and South Korea (1745) to the silver and bronze medal positions, respectively.
The twin victories capped a memorable day for Sift Kaur Samra and the Indian shooting contingent. By winning both the individual and team golds, Samra demonstrated why she is one of the world's top rifle shooters and added another golden chapter to India's impressive run at the prestigious continental event.
