'Golden girl' Sift Kaur given rousing welcome in Faridkot

Faridkot, October 5

Shooting sensation Sift Kaur Samra, who created a world record by winning gold in the women’s 50 m rifle three position event at Asian Games in Hangzhou last week, was given a rousing welcome at the Nehru Stadium here today.

“I had never planned to become a shooter and was on my way to become a doctor. My journey in this field began in 2019 when I accompanied my father to a shooting range where my brother was practising,” said Kaur, the daughter of a farmer.

“Initially, I took the discipline lightly. After cracking NEET, I got admitted to a local government medical college. But shooting kept igniting my passion,” Kaur said.

She and her parents were honoured by the district administration at the local sports stadium on Thursday.

Faridkot DC Vineet Kumar said: “Kaur has proved her mettle and brought laurels to this town, state and parents. She used clinical precision in her shooting game and stood at the top of the podium.”

Kaur’s father Pawandeep Singh Samra said while medical profession was her dream, now shooting had become her passion and she had worked tirelessly to achieve her goals in sports.

Ramneek Kaur, the shooter’s mother, said honour and exhilaration are not determined by the medal’s hue but by its importance for the nation.

Breaking the world record of British shooter Seonaid McIntosh of 467.0 points, Kaur had shot 469.6 in the final of the 50 meter rifle three position.

She had agreed to leave her MBBS course at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College at Faridkot in March after her tournament dates clashed with first year exams. After leaving the medical education, she has now started pursuing a diploma in Physical Education at GNDU.

Kaur had in March lifted her maiden World Cup medal at the ISSF World Cup in Bhopal. While participating in national and international shooting competitions, she was unable to make up for her attendance deficit, which left her ineligible for the annual exams of first year.