Shooter Kamaljeet overcomes accident and financial hardship to win gold at Asian Games

Indian shooter Kamaljeet and his teammate Suruchi Singh Phogat won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range. They also set a new Asian Record of 484.6 to secure the victory. This marks India's first shooting medal at the Asian Games and the country's second overall gold at the event. For Kamaljeet, the win follows a difficult period that included a severe autorickshaw accident three years ago. The crash killed two co-passengers and left him with a thigh bone fracture that required a month-long hospital stay. His family spent Rs 4 lakh on his medical treatment by borrowing money from friends and relatives, while his father Ratiram worked as a contract labourer in a paint factory alongside their two-acre farmland. Before switching to shooting, Kamaljeet wanted to join the Indian Army as an athlete, but an injury forced him to quit running. His uncle Dinesh Sohlot introduced him in 2019 to an academy run by coach Shaktipal, who covered all training expenses and helped the family manage costs. Since he did not own a pistol initially, Kamaljeet practiced with academy weapons and trained at home by lifting bricks and dumbbells to build arm strength. He later joined the army as a havildar through a sports quota and won a silver medal in the 50m pistol event at the Asian Championships earlier this year.