Asian Games: Palak Gulia, who bagged a gold and a silver in shooting, first picked up pistol 4 years ago

The Gurgaon resident, who was good at running, found her true skills at the age of 13 which she has only sharpened, assuring her a position in the Asian Games entourage to represent India in the women’s air pistol category.

Gulia’s father Jogender recalls an incident from when she was 11 that sums her up. “She was competing in some athletic sport and was running a long distance. Halfway through it, she injured herself and started bleeding profusely, but she didn’t stop. I couldn’t stand to look at her shoe which was covered in blood. That determined spirit makes her different.”

“When it comes to days when she cannot perform well, she does not blame the lights, the grip, or the pistol, she says, ‘It is my fault, I will perform better the next time.’ She has the heart and the talent to get a medal this time as well,” says Jogender, who divides his time between her shooting range and his business. He reels off the number of times she won a medal at an international event. From Korea to Cairo, Gulia has wielded her gun and won medals.

Originally from Jhajjar, Jogender says he has tried hard not to let others discourage Gulia. “My villagers would never let her participate in such games. It is unusual for girls to reach anywhere, but we shifted to Gurgaon and she took to shooting as it was compulsory to choose a sport. There was a great range. At home, we make sure there is a conducive environment for her not to feel stressed,” he says, adding that these are not games played with the might of muscle.

“Concentration and a peaceful mind are inevitable for this sport, so we make sure our hardships don’t get in her way. Even if we have any troubles with getting her equipment or financial issues, we make sure she does not know,” he adds.

From Sehwag International School in Jhajjar to St Xavier’s High School in Gurgaon, Gulia had fun until she had to leave for Faridabad in search of better training, facilities, and competition. “The Faridabad range offers her a better crowd to compete with, and her coach is also pretty good. Our family shifted, and we have been scraping through with my business. Her training was our priority,” Jogender says.

In the family of five, Palak’s younger siblings also look up to her as an idol, he mentions. “Palak’s younger sister Jhanvi sometimes picks up her pistol and does an impression of her. If she wants to pursue academics, so be it, or if it is sports, I will help her take the path she wants,” Jogender says.

Contesting for the first time in the senior category, Palak won several medals at various world championships in 2022. At the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Shooting Championships in Cairo in October 2022, she bagged a silver; at the 15th Asian Airgun Championship in Korea in November 2022, she won two silver medals; at ISSF World Cup championship in Korea in July 2022, she won silver in air pistol team and mixed air pistol team; from the Suhl IJC ISSF junior cup, she returned with two golds, one each for individual and women’s team events, and a silver in the mixed team category.