You need a steady hand to handle a rifle. Or a scalpel. Sift Kaur Samra has done both. Not only did she clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, which is in itself an achievement, but she also broke the world record in 50m Rifle Three Positions at the 2023 Asian Games.
“When I planned for NEET, I had a thought that I’m going to leave shooting and this would be my last national [games],” she told THE WEEK. “And at that national, because I was not under any pressure and I was just so relaxed, I broke the national record. And I was like, okay, this is the way I should play the match. No tension, no pressure, nothing. You know how to shoot. You know how to perform. It is just that how you control your thoughts. I really am thankful to medical for helping me understand my shooting.”
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This clarity of thought is a hallmark of Sift’s game. The 22-year-old from Punjab started shooting when she was 16; she had seen her father’s friend, a shooter, on television, and her father had then taken her to the range.
Six years later, she’s at her first Olympics, and that too in what they call the hardest event in shooting. “Changing into three positions (kneeling, prone and standing) and carrying a lot of stuff with you is really difficult. And more than that, we have to face a lot of challenges,” she said. “If there is wind, you have to shoot. You cannot wait.”
All this makes the world record all the more impressive. In fact, when asked if she would rather have a world record or a major medal, she chose the former. “When I broke the world record, P.V. Sindhu texted me. She said, ‘Enjoy this, roz roz world record nahi toot-tey (world records aren’t broken every day),” she said. “That was a really beautiful line.”
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Sift would look to emulate Sindhu, who won a medal in her debut Olympics in Rio 2016. And her calmness would be an advantage. Sift looks at the Olympics as just another tournament, and she will just stick to her guns. “I have to do the same thing that I do in my training and I do in my competition,” she said.
That she does not have the baggage of the Tokyo failure―the Indian shooting contingent had gone in with high hopes to the previous Olympics, but was off target―could help her keep a clear head during tense situations.
In a recent episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, Sift was a plant in the audience who was picked out to join former Olympians Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza on the couch. She showed off her skills in front of the studio audience and was given advice by the veterans.
If she keeps her momentum―she won bronze at the ISSF Munich World Cup last month―Sift could not only erase the blemishes of Tokyo 2020, but also enter the league of the ladies she shared that stage with.