Who is Ashi Chouksey? All you need to know about the Asian Games 2023 silver medalist

Ashi Chouksey won not one, but three medals at the Asian Games. She won the bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3-positions individual event and was all set to win silver until the last round, where Chinese shooter Zhang Qiongyue scored a 10.5, beating the Indian shooter by just 0.5. Fellow Indian, Sift Kaur Samra broke the world record and took gold in the same event.

The 21-year-old shooter, born in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, started shooting just six years ago as she wanted to do something that would help her escape from her academics and allow her to skip school occasionally.

Her journey as a shooter began in the hill station of Panchmarhi in 2017, located 200 kilometers southeast of Bhopal.

"My school had the NCC program from Class 9. Class bunk karne ke liye maine join kiya (I signed up to try and skip class)," she recalled.

At her first NCC camp in Panchmarhi, Chouksey and her friends were handed rifles and instructed to shoot at targets placed 50 meters away. They were each given five shots.

Ashi does not remember the exact score, but she said that it was evident to all that she possessed remarkable shooting skills, especially for someone who had never fired a gun before.

This chance encounter changed the course of her life. The camp commander's encouragement led her to explore shooting as a potential career. It was her luck that the Madhya Pradesh Academy in Bhopal was conveniently located, just 15 minutes away from her home. She attended the selection trials here, where out of 225 candidates, only two were chosen, and she was one of them.

Since then, her academic pursuits have taken a backseat to her sporting endeavours. Ashi has won several medals at the international level, including a gold at the World Cup last year.

Ashi Chouksey's performance at the Asian Games 2023

Ashi made headlines when she secured the silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle team event along with Mehuli Ghosh and Ramita Jindal. Their combined score of 1,886.0 helped them secure second place, behind the athletes from China who broke the Asian record.

The Indian shooter was also part of the team that won silver in the 50m rifle 3-positions team event.

The 21-year-old shooter, along with Sift Kaur Samra, and Manini Kaushik, demonstrated their composure and precision by achieving a combined score of 1764, which propelled them to the podium. The Chinese team secured the gold, while South Korea won the bronze medal.

The Indian shooter is now eyeing the Paris Olympics. With three Asian Games medals, the stalwart will have a lot of expectations resting on her shoulders, and the nation hopes to see Ashi continue to win medals.