In the world of Olympic air pistol shooting, silence is the soundtrack and stillness is the religion. Shooters are typically given 75 minutes to fire 60 shots—a marathon of breath control and microscopic precision. Most athletes use every available second, agonizing over the “perfect” release.
Then there is Suruchi Phogat.
At just 19, Phogat has become the sport’s most fascinating paradox. While her peers are still settling their nerves, Suruchi is often packing her kit. She has been known to dismantle a 60-shot qualification round in a blistering 30 minutes. It is a pace that shouldn’t work, yet the results—a world junior record of 245.1 and a world ranking of No. 2—suggest that Suruchi Phogat isn’t just shooting fast; she’s shooting in a state of “flow” that most veterans spend a lifetime trying to find.
This instinctive brilliance was first evident in her meteoric rise from Jhajjar to the global shooting stage, where she stunned the international circuit with a fearless World Cup performance that announced her arrival among the elite.
The Burden of the “Fastest Gun”
Speed, however, is a double-edged sword. As she enters a high-stakes 2026, the narrative surrounding the Haryana prodigy is shifting. The headlines no longer just marvel at her velocity; they question her patience.
The sports world loves a “natural,” and Suruchi is exactly that. But as national coach Samresh Jung has noted, the very speed that makes her a nightmare for competitors—even the dominant Chinese squad has taken notice—can occasionally be her undoing. When a shot goes wide in a 30-minute blitz, there is no time to recalibrate. The adrenaline that fuels her can easily become the “stress” she felt during her early days in Bhopal.
A Year of Reckoning
2025 was the year Suruchi Phogat introduced herself to the world with a hat-trick of World Cup gold medals—a run of victories that confirmed her rise was not a one-off, but a sustained statement of dominance.
2026 will be the year she has to prove she can stay there.
The calendar is a gauntlet of marquee events:
- Feb 2–14: Asian Championships (New Delhi)
- Sept 17–Oct 3: Asian Games (Japan)
- Nov 1–15: World Championships (Doha)
These aren’t just trophy hunts; they are the battlegrounds for 2028 Los Angeles Olympic quotas. For Suruchi, the challenge isn’t technical—it’s temperamental.
She is currently maintaining a domestic average of 583.58, outstripping even Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker. But to secure her seat for LA, she is learning the hardest lesson in sports: how to slow down.
“I feel if I delay my shot, my scores come down. But now I am going to take a little more time and rest my hand,” Phogat admits.
It is the sound of an athlete evolving from a phenom into a professional.
Why You Should Watch
Suruchi Phogat represents the new breed of Indian athlete—unapologetic, record-breaking, and mentally tough. At this level, the real challenge is often managing time and nerves as much as hitting the target.
Watching her in 2026 will be like watching a high-speed chase in a library. There is a frantic energy masked by the clinical exterior of the 10m range. If she can find the “middle way”—the sweet spot between her natural lightning pace and the tactical patience required for major finals—we aren’t just looking at a rising star.
We are looking at the future of Indian gold.
The 10m air pistol is a game of millimeters, and success often depends on patience and precise timing.
