India’s Sift Kaur Samra delivered another golden chapter in Indian shooting on Tuesday as she clinched the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) individual gold medal at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championships.
The 23-year-old marked her supremacy with a final score of 459.2 points, overcoming a shaky start to emerge as the new Asian champion. This victory also highlighted India’s continued strength in the event, with the women’s team of Sift Kaur Samra, Ashi Chouksey, and Anjum Moudgil securing the team gold medal – India’s third consecutive triumph in this discipline at the continental level. The trio outperformed traditional powerhouses Japan and Korea, reaffirming India’s place at the top in rifle shooting.
From a Nervy Start to a Golden Finish
The finals in Shymkent were far from straightforward for Sift. After the opening kneeling series, she was placed in the bottom half of the standings, even slipping to seventh at one stage. Compatriot Ashi Chouksey, who had also qualified strongly, found herself in a similar struggle.
But the hallmark of champions is resilience, and Sift showcased exactly that. She produced a sharp recovery in the prone position, registering one of the best series of the round to climb steadily up the leaderboard. The decisive turnaround, however, came in the standing series. Under mounting pressure, Sift kept her shots consistent and composed, eventually pushing herself into medal contention before sealing the top spot in the final elimination stages. Her final tally of 459.2 points placed her comfortably ahead of her rivals, underlining both her mental toughness and technical brilliance.
Ashi, despite a solid qualification round, finished seventh in the final.
Qualification Round: India Sets the Tone Early
The day had started brightly for India. In qualification, Sift topped the field with 589 points, while Ashi followed close behind in fourth with 586 points, ensuring two Indians in the eight-woman final. The strong qualifying performance mirrored the team’s collective dominance the Indian trio had already built a solid cushion in the team standings, eventually securing another continental gold. For Anjum Moudgil, a veteran of the Indian shooting setup, the medal reinforced her role in India’s sustained success in rifle events. The three shooters combined experience, youth, and consistency to edge out formidable Asian rivals.
This team gold marked the third consecutive time that India has stood on the top step of the podium in the women’s 50m Rifle 3P event at the Asian Championships. The streak underlines the country’s depth in the discipline, where the rise of young shooters like Sift has blended seamlessly with the experience of stalwarts such as Anjum. For Sift herself, this gold is another high point in what has already been a career filled with milestones at a young age. Known for her calm under pressure, she has steadily established herself as one of India’s most reliable performers on the global stage.
With Paris 2024 now behind and the focus shifting towards the next Olympic cycle, the Asian Championships in Shymkent are a crucial testing ground. India’s shooters are using the event both as preparation and as a statement of intent ahead of upcoming global competitions. Sift’s gold not only cements her reputation as a world-class shooter but also provides India with momentum in the ongoing Championships, where medals are piling up across categories.
The women’s 50m Rifle 3P, traditionally a demanding discipline that tests skill across kneeling, prone, and standing positions, is now becoming an Indian stronghold. In Shymkent, Sift Kaur Samra reminded everyone why she is among the finest rifle shooters in Asia. From a nervy start to a composed finish, her journey through the final epitomized the grit required in elite shooting. With her gold, Ashi Chouksey’s qualification brilliance, and Anjum Moudgil’s steady support, India’s women once again stood tall on the continental stage.
For Indian shooting, this was not just another medal it was a reinforcement of dominance in one of the sport’s most challenging events, and a promise of bigger things to come.
