Young Punjab’s shooting star, Sift Kaur Samra, stole the show with a gold medal in the women’s 25m rifle 3-position event as Indian shooters set the range ablaze by securing as many as seven medals at the Asian Games here on Wednesday. She also set the new World Record Individual Final.
Samra claimed the yellow metal with a World and Games record score of 469.6, becoming the first Indian shooter to win gold in rifle 3-position at the Continental showpiece.
“Seeing the national flag rising in China feels really good and special,” Samra said after her triumph.
Before her triumph in the final, Samra broke the Asian Games record in qualification with a total score of 594 (out of 600), along with China’s Xia Siyu, who finished on top by virtue of higher inner 10 scores (closer to the centre of the target).
Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while congratulating the talented shooter from Faridkot, said that Sift has brought glory to the name of the state and the country with this outstanding performance. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s dream of making Punjab the leading state in sports again will be fulfilled by players like Sift. The players of Punjab have been consistently performing well in the ongoing Asian Games.
Meet Hayer said that this achievement is a source of inspiration for new-age sportspersons, especially girls in Punjab. He attributed this success to the shooter’s hard work, as well as her parents and coaches. Sift Samra was part of the torch relay in the opening ceremony of the Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan and was also given a check of Rs 8 lakh by the Punjab government for preparation under the new Sports policy.
