Rewari (Haryana) [India], September 25 (ANI): Kamaljeet's family erupted in joy after the shooter clinched gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, with his parents and uncle saying his achievement had brought pride to the country, Haryana, and their village.
Indian shooter Kamaljeet, along with his mixed doubles partner Suruchi Singh, clinched the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games, securing India's second gold medal of the competition. The Indian duo finished with a total of 484.6 points in the final to beat South Korea, who won silver with 478.0 points. Iran claimed the bronze medal with 415.8 points, while Indonesia finished with 349.4 points and was eliminated.
The Indian duo of Suruchi and Kamaljeet also smashed the Asian record, which was previously set by Uzbekistan (481.3) earlier this year in New Delhi during the Asian Shooting Championships event.
Back in Kamaljeet’s village in Rewari, his father Ratiram, speaking to ANI, said he was unable to put his happiness into words while recalling his son’s journey and hard work since 2019.
“I'm so happy that I can't express it in words. The whole village, we, and the whole area are very happy. He prepared in our village, at our friend Shakti Pal's range. He gave a very good performance everywhere. Wherever he went, he never came back without a medal since 2019,” he said.
Kamaljeet's mother Rajbala also expressed her happiness and pride after seeing her son win a medal for the country.
“It brings a lot of happiness to see my son with a medal. He made the country, village, and family proud. Today, I am very happy and proud,” she said.
Kamaljeet's uncle Dinesh Kumar said the entire country, state, and village were proud of the shooter's achievement and urged parents to encourage children to take up sports.
“We are very happy, and the whole country, state, and village are proud. He has made the country and the village proud. We would only say that children should be motivated to participate in sports so that medals keep coming for the country,” he said.
The family also credited Kamaljeet's coach Shakti Pal for playing a key role in his development. They said Kamaljeet trained at Shakti Pal's shooting range in the village and also spent time preparing under Rakesh, a coach from Rajgarh.
“There is a 10th Shooting Academy-named range. Our friend Shakti Pal is a coach there, and he used to practice at his range. From there, he prepared, and his coach Shakti Pal’s friend, Rakesh, is a coach from Rajgarh. He also spent some time preparing there. Because of Shakti Pal, we don't have any major role; it is his main role. He considered him his own child and brought him to this level. We are very happy, and the whole village is happy,” said Kamaljeet’s uncle. (ANI)
‘He made country, village proud’: Kamaljeet’s family celebrates Asian Games gold
