Know Your Asian Games Girls: Shooter Heena Sidhu

Pistol shooter Heena Sidhu picked up a gold medal in 25m pistol shooting and a silver in 10m air rifle event at the Commonwealth Games in April this year. India’s biggest hope in women’s shooting in Asian Games 2018, Heena is a former World No. 1 and world record holder.

She is often in the news for not adhering to unrealistic rules. Remember back in 2016 when she refused to wear a hijab and hence backed out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championships? She did it again when she voiced frustration over the “unjust policies” of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) this year. Her comments revolved around the selection process of the NRAI’s ranking for the Asiad. But leaving all the criticism aside, the veteran is now all prepped up to show the world what it's like to be the best in the fraternity.

Here’s why you should watch out for the legendary shooter:

Taking up shooting

Heena Sidhu was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. Following the path of her father, Rajbir Sidhu, who was a National level shooter himself and her uncle, Inderjit Sidhu, who is a professional gunsmith and gun businessman, it was but natural for her to take up shooting.

While the path she was about to go down was inherited, the bright student got a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery in 2013.

Her training

From a tender age, Heena was trained in shooting by her uncle. Her father even set up a shooting range in the house to help her practice. She bagged an international medal as a junior in 2007 and a bronze in 10m Air Pistol at the Asian Shooting Championships. Her maiden ISSF World Cup medal in 2009 was special too. At the age of 19, she claimed the silver that year in her pet category at the Beijing World Cup. After that, stopping her was impossible. Heena’s talent grew each day and she became the face of India's shooting team in no time.

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Career Highlights

• The right-handed and right-eye strong shooter finished the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad with a silver medal in individual category.
• Heena became the first Indian pistol shooter to reach number 1 in world rankings in April 2014.
• She became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup finals in 2013.
• The shooter was a world record holder in the 10-metre air pistol event with a final score of 203.8 in 2014.
• In 2017, she won gold medal in women's 10-metre air pistol event at the Commonwealth shooting championships in Brisbane.
• At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal in the women’s 10 metre air pistol event, and a gold medal in the women’s 25 metre air pistol event. She broke the Commonwealth Games record of 38 in winning the gold medal.
• The Arjuna-awardee has made it to the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list 2018.

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SheThePeople.TV wishes all athletes best of luck at the upcoming Asian Games.

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Feature Image Credit: economictimes.indiatimes.com

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