'Pressure Leke Kya Hi Hoga': Kamaljeet-Suruchi Reflect On Journey To Asian Games Gold Medal After Individual Failure

Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamaljeet delivered India's first shooting gold of the Asian Games 2026, combining for an Asian record 484.6 points to win the 10m air pistol mixed team title in Nagoya.

The Indian duo topped qualification earlier in the day with 587 points, breaking the previous Asian Games qualification mark, before carrying that form into the final, where they opened with a strong 103.0 in the first series and never relinquished the lead, eventually finishing 6.6 points clear of South Korea's Choo Gaeun and Hong Suhyeon (478.0), with Iran's Rostamyan Haniyeh and Golkhandan Vahid taking bronze (415.8). Their combined score also eclipsed the previous Asian record of 481.3, set by Uzbekistan earlier this year.

An Unforgettable Year For Suruchi Threaded By Discipline

For Suruchi, the gold is the latest high point in what has been an outstanding twelve months. The 20-year-old from Haryana became world No. 1 in 2025, won individual gold at the World Cup Final in Doha, added a team silver at the World Championships in Cairo, and followed it up with team gold and mixed team silver at the 2026 Asian Championships in New Delhi.

When Outlook India asked her about what has changed for her in the last year, she kept it simple and short. "I have increased my discipline. I have increased my time in shooting. That's it."

Despite reports suggesting she calls a personal coach Suresh five minutes before every event, Suruchi has firmly denied working with anyone other than national coach Samaresh Jain, crediting him for helping her regroup after a disappointing individual qualification here in Nagoya.

A Gritty Transition And A Fearless Leap For Kamaljeet

Kamaljeet's story is one of reinvention. The 22-year-old from Rewari, Haryana, saw a promising athletics career cut short by injury before turning to pistol shooting in 2019, building himself up from scratch with the guidance of a coach from his own village. Primarily a 50m pistol specialist — a event in which he won junior world gold in 2023 and Asian Championship silver this year — Kamaljeet had to adapt his skills to the 10m air pistol discipline as well.

His individual campaign in Nagoya ended in heartbreak, finishing ninth and missing the final by a single point. With his Asian Games seemingly over, he was handed a lifeline barely 24 hours later, drafted in at the last minute by coach Samaresh Jung to replace Kedarling Uchaganve in the mixed team event alongside Suruchi — a call that turned near-elimination into India's first shooting gold of the Games.

Reacting on what changed between his individual event and the mixed team event, Kamaljeet revealed that the key was to take off all the anxiety.

"I thought that what has happened has happened. One match was over, and any additional pressure might make the next match worse. That is why I carried confidence going into this match. We had a good start, although at first I didn’t really understand what was going on with Suruchi as she and the screen was right in front of me. We started well. In the middle of the match, I went to Samresh Sir and spoke to the coach. Then I started again and tried to focus. That’s it, sir. Overall, it was a good match.”