Asian Games 2018: Rahi Sarnobat becomes first Indian woman to win Gold for India in 25M Pistol Event

Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat became the first Indian woman shooter to win an Asian Games gold medal today as she won a double shoot-off in the 25m pistol event in Jakarta.

The 27-year-old genius shooter displayed brilliant performance as she scored a record on her way to winning gold at the Jakabaring Shooting Range.

Sarnobat scored 34 points and even though Thailand’s Naphaswan Yangpaiboon also scored 34 points which led the game to tie but finally Sarnobat was able to bag the title after two rounds of shoot-off. Minjung Kim of South Korea won the bronze medal with a score of 29.

Sarnobat’s medal was fourth gold India has won at the ongoing edition of the Asian Games, 2018.

Rahi Sarnobat formerly had won bronze in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 25-m pistol team event with Anisa Sayyed and Heena Sidhu. She has won two gold medal back to back in 25m pistol at 2010 and 2014 edition of Commonwealth Games and a silver in 2010 commonwealth games.

This is the second shooting gold medal of India at these Asian Games 2018 after Sachin Chaudhary won gold in the 10m air pistol event on yesterday. Shooter Abhishek Verma also clinched a bronze medal in the same event.

Over the course of her career, Sarnobat is a successful shooter. Sarnobat also won the gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games held in Pune. Sarnobat came of as India’s first pistol shooter to win the gold medal in the ISSF World Cup in Changwon in 2015.

For her brilliant achievement in the field of shooting Sarnobat was recommended for the country’s prestigious, Arjuna Award by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in May 2015.

Rahi Sarnobat In 2017, had to undergo a year-long break after an elbow injury, following which her form dropped.