Meet Heena Sidhu, India’s First Pistol Shooter is the Pride of the Country

The journey of Heena Sidhu is truly amazing in the field of shooting. She is world’s number 1 pistol shooter and the first girl of India to have achieved this honor. This story is a small tribute to her.

Name: Heena Sidhu

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Current Status: Living

About Heena Sidhu:

Heena Sidhu is world class most efficient Indian pistol shooter. She is a graduate in BDS (Bachelor in Dental Surgery) and enjoys painting and sketching in her free time. She gives the credit to her uncle who inspired her for taking up shooting on a professional level. Her uncle is a professional Gun-Smith and Guns customizer. She was also greatly supported by her father, Mr. Rajbir Sidhu. Mr. Sidhu is also a National Shooter and her brother, Karanbir Sidhu is also a trained shooter.(ndtv)

Heena is married to a pistol shooter, Ronak Pandit. They both are happily settled in Goregaon, Mumbai. Heena had participated in various events and competitions at National and International level.  Every event brought a different sense of pride in her and this is the reason of her winning.

Milestones:

One of the greatest achievements for Sidhu was winning the Gold Medal at ISSF World Cup Finals. She won the best medal shooter and was praised for her exceptional skills in shooting. Sidhu was in her 12th standard when she began her shooting practice. She amazed her seniors by winning in the National Junior Team and was enrolled for the Senior Team within two months of winning itself.

In honor of her commitment and dedication in her career, Heena was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award along with 10 more athletes in different field at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. All the sportspeople were dignified by the Hon’ble President of India.

A few record breaking events participated and won by Heena Sidhu are;

• ISSF World Cup Finals, Women’s m Air Pistol Championship.

• Won and honored in the Commonwealth Games.

• Participated and won in the Asian Games.

• She won a silver medal in Polish Open Finals for shooting.

• Won gold and bronze medals at the Asian Shooting Championships.

• Grabbed gold medals twice at the Munich Open Championships.

There are many more awards won by Heena that has brought a sense of pride to India.

She is a true inspiration to many and yet stays grounded like a common individual.

What Inspires Us from Heena Sidhu’s Success Story?

Heena is a self-accomplished woman. The period when the youth is engrossed in night clubs and love relationships, Heena was focusing to build her career in pistol shooting. Being a woman, it is not easy to get accepted happily in the society; especially some parts of Punjab are still rigid in terms of girl child acceptance. Not many areas in Punjab are open to accept women progressing. Despite the challenges, Heena Sidhu kept leaving her footprints for others to get inspired.

Our hard work…. pic.twitter.com/qTrVRcjeZc

— Heena SIDHU (@HeenaSidhu10) November 6, 2015

She is truly an amazing woman at heart and a gem of a person. Her shooting skills have amazed people every time she has participated in the competitions. Winning an honor from the President of India is itself a great accomplishment and Heena deserves every bit of it.

Heena’s confidence is commendable and it is a pleasure to see her every time she wins a medal. Heena truly believes that if you have a supporting partner, you can shoot any battle of life. She gives credit to her husband who also happens to be her coach. Her husband seems to be very relieved whenever she goes for a competition as he trusts her confidence and skills. Love is the most wonderful magic that can turn the table towards you. They truly are blessed to have each other. It is a pair made in heaven.

Although she is at her peak of success, Heena still considers herself as a learner and never stops practicing. She gets up in the morning and practices without fail. I love her personality, her confidence, and her never ending spirit. She does not need any international exposure; in fact she is herself an international star.

We need more women like Heena Sidhu in our country to make others believe that it is never too late to follow your dreams. All you need is trust yourself and be prepared to combat all the challenges. Continuous efforts and practice will slowly make you see the success clouds shadowing you.