Who is Rhythm Sangwan: India’s shooting prodigy

Rhythm Sangwan is an Indian pistol shooter who will make her Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

4 minBy Prathamesh Palshikar
Rhythm Sangwan ISSF World Cup Baku 2023

(International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF))

With four world championship titles and four ISSF World Cup gold medals in her burgeoning career, Rhythm Sangwan is one of the rising stars in Indian shooting.

Rhythm Sangwan is a pistol shooter featuring in the 10m air pistol and 25m air pistol events. A bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships helped her book a spot in the 21-member Indian shooting team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“Every athlete will tell you the Olympics is the ultimate dream – I am not an exception, either,” Rhythm was quoted saying by The Quint. “Winning an Olympic gold will be the greatest achievement of my career.”

Inspired by Mary Kom, an Olympic bronze-medal-winning Indian boxer, Rhythm displayed academic and sporting excellence early in her career. Alongside winning medals, While settling Rhythm is also pursuing a degree in English literature.

Rhythm Sangwan’s early days

Rhythm Sangwan was born on December 29, 2003. She hails from the Kalina village in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

From her formative years, Rhythm’s parents urged her to pursue sports. While she developed an interest in tennis, the youngster did not lean on her inclinations.

At the age of 13, Rhythm had her first shooting experience when she visited the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Excited by the sounds of the rifles and bullets, Rhythm decided to take up the sport.

Her father Narender Kumar, working as a police officer, aided in Rhythm introduction guns from an early age.

Mentored by Vinit Kumar, her father’s acquaintance, Rhythm began her journey towards becoming a fine markswoman. While shooting initially was for fun, regular practice drove her towards maximising her results.

Less than a year later, Rhythm won three gold medals in the individual events at the 2017 National Shooting Championship while also bagging a women’s team silver in the 10m air pistol competition.

Despite her success in the shooting range, Rhythm continued to excel academically too.

“My parents have always said academics and sports should go hand-in-hand – one should not suffer for another,” Rhythm said. “That is my aim. Of course, as my schedule keeps getting busier, I am getting less time to study, but I’m still managing.”

Rhythm Sangwan’s road to Paris 2024 Olympics

Rhythm Sangwan’s success at the national championships in 2017 was the beginning of her stellar rise in the shooting ecosystem.

In 2021, Rhythm won four junior World Championship gold medals - women’s 25m pistol team, 25m rapid fire mixed team, women’s air pistol team and women’s 25m standard pistol.

She also won two gold medals at the 2022 ISSF Junior Cup in Suhl, Germany, in the women’s 25m team events.

Rhythm made the podium at a senior international event for the first time in 2022. She returned with two gold medals at the 2022 ISSF World Cup in Cairo in October. The Indian markswoman had bagged silver and bronze at Changwon World Cup earlier in the year.

Rhythm added two more gold medals to her tally in 2023, one at the World Championships and one at the Cairo World Cup. She also settled for a silver medal at the Bhopal World Cup.

However, the highlights of her 2023 season came at the Asian Games and the World Championships.

She bettered a 29-year-old world record in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 ISSF World Cup in Baku. Rhythm registered a score of 595 in the qualification round, bettering the previous world record of 594, set by Bulgarian shooter Diana Iorgova in 1994. Her score also broke the junior women's 25m pistol qualification record.

Later in the year, alongside Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh, Rhythm won the women’s 25m pistol team event gold medal at the Asian Games 2023 Hangzhou.

With a bronze medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2024, Rhythm obtained a record 16th quota for India in shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Rhythm will feature in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events in shooting at the Olympics.

Rhythm Sangwan’s achievements and medals

  • Gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol team event at the 2023 Asian Games
  • Gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol team event at the 2023 World Championships
  • Four gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the ISSF World Cup
  • Four gold medals at the 2021 World Junior Championships
  • Bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships
  • World record in the 2023 ISSF World Cup in the qualification round by scoring 595 in the women’s 25m pistol event
  • Set for Paris 2024 Olympics debut aged 20
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