Sometimes, a second chance can change everything.

For Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet, that second chance came at the right time.

The Indian pair won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Friday, September 25.

They finished the final with 484.6 points, 6.6 points ahead of South Korea. The Indian duo also set an Asian Games record with their score. The victory gave India its second gold medal of the Games and its first shooting gold at the 2026 Asian Games.

But the gold medal story is more interesting when you look at how Suruchi and Kamaljeet reached the final together.

Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet Were a Last-Minute Pair

The two shooters were not originally India's mixed-team combination.

The pairing was changed after the individual qualification events. Kamaljeet finished as India's best male shooter in the 10m air pistol qualification, scoring 580 points and finishing ninth, just one point short of a place in the individual final.

Suruchi had also missed the women's individual final.

The mixed team event gave both shooters another opportunity.

They made the most of it.

Suruchi and Kamaljeet topped the qualification round with 587 points and 29 inner 10s. They carried that confidence into the medal round and stayed in control throughout the final.

South Korea's Suhyeon Hong and Gaeun Choo finished second with 478.0 points, while Iran took bronze with 415.8.

Who Is Suruchi Singh?

Suruchi Singh is one of the fastest-rising names in Indian shooting.

Born on April 28, 2006, in Jhajjar, Haryana, she initially tried wrestling before taking up shooting at the age of 13. She later trained under coach Suresh Singh at Guru Dronacharya Shooting Academy in Bhiwani.

Her progress became much faster over the next few years.

At the 2024 National Championships, Suruchi won seven gold medals. She followed that with two more gold medals at the National Games in Uttarakhand.

Then came her breakthrough on the international stage.

In 2025, Suruchi won individual gold medals at the ISSF World Cups in Buenos Aires, Lima and Munich. She also won mixed-team gold at the Lima World Cup.

Later that year, she won gold at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. Her score of 245.1 in the 10m air pistol final was a junior world record.

She continued that form in 2026, winning another World Cup gold in Munich. She also won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2026 Asian Championships.

Now, she has added an Asian Games gold medal to that growing list.

Suruchi’s Connection With Manu Bhaker’s Hometown

There is another interesting part of Suruchi's story.

She comes from Jhajjar, Haryana, the same district associated with Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.

Suruchi also trained at Guru Dronacharya Shooting Academy in Bhiwani, where Manu Bhaker has trained. Both shooters have worked under coach Suresh Singh.

For Suruchi, however, the path has been her own.

Her coach has spoken about her discipline and the amount of work she put into improving her technique, timing and match preparation.

That hard work has now taken her from the national circuit to the top of the Asian Games podium.

Who Is Kamaljeet?

Kamaljeet comes from Sulkha in Rewari, Haryana.

His journey to shooting began in a very different way.

He was originally involved in track and field, but an injury ended that career. In 2019, he moved to pistol shooting and began building a new career in the sport.

The transition was not easy.

Kamaljeet has spoken about the financial difficulties he faced in the early years of his shooting career. He had to manage expenses related to coaching, courses and competitions, while his parents continued to support his ambitions.

His breakthrough came at the junior international level.

In 2023, Kamaljeet won gold in the 50m pistol junior men's event at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Changwon, South Korea.

He later moved into the senior circuit and has competed in both 10m air pistol and 50m pistol.

The Asian Games gold is now the biggest result of his career.

From Individual Disappointment to Asian Games Gold

What makes the victory even more interesting is what happened before the mixed team final.

Neither Suruchi nor Kamaljeet had reached the individual final.

Kamaljeet finished ninth in men's qualification, missing the final by one point. Suruchi also missed the women's individual final.

But instead of ending their Asian Games shooting campaign there, they got another opportunity as a mixed team.

And this time, everything came together.

They first topped qualification with 587 points before producing a strong performance in the medal round. Their final score of 484.6 gave them a comfortable six-point-plus advantage over South Korea.

Why the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Event Matters

The mixed team event brings together one male and one female shooter.

Both scores contribute to the team's final result, so consistency from both athletes is important.

That was exactly what India got from Suruchi and Kamaljeet.

They were not a long-established pair. In fact, their combination came together only after a change in India's original team composition.

Yet they quickly found the rhythm needed for the event.

Their qualification score put them at the top, and they maintained that position when the medal was on the line.

What the Asian Games Gold Means for Suruchi and Kamaljeet

For Suruchi, the medal adds another major title to a career that has risen rapidly over the past two seasons.

For Kamaljeet, it marks another important step after moving from athletics to shooting and working his way through the junior and senior circuits.

Their stories are different, but the destination was the same.

On September 25, 2026, the two Haryana shooters stood together on the Asian Games podium with a gold medal around their necks.

And perhaps the most striking part of the story is that this winning combination was created only after their individual campaigns had already ended in disappointment.

A second opportunity brought Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet together.

They turned it into India's first shooting gold of the Asian Games 2026 — and did it with an Asian Games record score of 484.6 points.

The trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshi Dhillon and Parth Mane won a silver medal at 10m air rifle in the team event for India.