Kamaljeet survived a horror road accident; three years later, he wins Asian Games gold
Asian Games: Indian shooter overcomes life-threatening accident to claim Asian Games gold
Three years ago, Kamaljeet Singh was lying in a hospital bed after surviving a horrific road accident in which two other people died.
On Friday, he stood on top of the Asian Games podium with a gold medal around his neck.
The 23 year old Indian shooter partnered Suruchi Singh to win the 10m air pistol mixed team gold at the Asian Games in Japan, completing a remarkable journey from a serious accident to becoming an Asian Games champion.
The accident that nearly derailed his career
In 2023, Kamaljeet was returning to his village of Sulkha in Haryana in an autorickshaw after training when it was involved in an accident.
Two fellow passengers were killed.
Kamaljeet survived but suffered a serious thigh injury, fracturing his femur. He was admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram and spent around a month there.
The treatment cost his family around Rs 4 lakh, according to his father Ratiram, and they had to borrow money from relatives and friends.
Kamaljeet's father works as a contract labourer in a paint factory, while the joint family owns around two acres of farmland.
His father summed up just how much Friday's medal meant to the family.
“He was fortunate because two people died in the accident. I thank god for saving Kamaljeet and for giving him the medal in the Asian Games,” Ratiram told The Indian Express.
From disappointment to gold
Kamaljeet's Asian Games had not started the way he wanted either.
He narrowly missed the men's 10m air pistol final on Thursday. Suruchi had also endured disappointment in her individual event.
But together they produced India's best shooting performance of the Games so far.
Kamaljeet and Suruchi topped qualification before dominating the four team final at the Aichi General Shooting Range.
The Indian pair finished with 484.6 points, comfortably ahead of South Korea on 478.0, while Iran took bronze.
The victory gave India their first shooting gold of the 2026 Asian Games and their second gold overall after the women's cricket team's triumph.
For Kamaljeet, though, this medal is about much more than the colour of it.
Three years after an accident left him in hospital for a month and his family borrowing money for his treatment, he is now an Asian Games champion.
