Having won a flurry of medals at India's top domestic competitions and exhibited unflappable temperament, the 18-year-old was touted as the next big thing in Indian shooting that has been bursting at the seams with young talent
Teen shooting sensation Suruchi Singh's fingers already had the talent to execute any shot when she met Jitu Rai at the national camp but the "basic tips" from the pistol stalwart proved decisive at the ISSF World Cups in South America where she struck gold more than once. (More Sports News)
Having won a flurry of medals at India's top domestic competitions and exhibited unflappable temperament, the 18-year-old was touted as the next big thing in Indian shooting that has been bursting at the seams with young talent.
At that point in time, what Suruchi needed was some "tips" to ensure she was able to translate those domestic results into international success, and she got the guidance from Rai. The result, she won three ISSF World Cup gold medals in a very short span of time.
"Jitu gave me some basic tips, tips which have helped me immensely here and are important to rise in the sport. I followed his advice and reaped the reward," Suruchi told PTI from Lima, where she won two gold medals in the ISSF World Cup to signal her arrival on the world stage with a bang.
Currently serving as one of the national team pistol coaches, the decorated former shooter quickly realised his ward's requirements, and helped fine-tune Suruchi's game.
Suruchi has known Rai for a long time, and it was a no-brainer when the Jhajjar shooter opted for the modest former Army man as her national coach. Her father has also retired from the force as Havildar.
"Jitu... I have known him for a long time, and know him well. So the understanding was also there when we were training," she said.
Rai, who was regarded as one of the world's finest pistol shooters of his time and won numerous gold medals in top international tournaments, said Suruchi possesses sound technique and is very strong both mentally and physically.
"Yes, I have known her for a while. I met her first in 2019 when she was around 12-13 years of age.
"She is an excellent shooter and has a very bright future in the sport. I am saying this because, besides her sound technique she has got a good temperament and remains steady at all times while shooting.
"However, when I saw her taking aim while training, I noticed that her hand was slightly tilting towards left. She got this fixed quickly with practice. We trained at the Karni Singh Range for 15 days, and it was a very useful camp.
"I told her about how to handle pressure when she is competing in big international tournaments, how to assess the situations, conditions, because not all ranges and conditions are same," Rai said.
A product of the Dronacharya Academy in Bhiwani, Haryana, Suruchi is a level-headed shooter and knows she has a long way to go.
"I will continue to try and shoot well regardless of the tournament. I'm not thinking about any expectations from me at the moment, and I would not want to think about it the future too," she signed off.
Though she won medals at the 2022 and 2023 Nationals, she came into her own in the last edition of the tournament in Delhi, from where she returned with a stunning haul of seven gold medals.
The exploits in the national capital were followed by two more gold medals at the National Games in Uttarakhand earlier this year.