Rahi Sarnobat Profile: Career Highlights of a Decorated Indian Shooter
New Delhi, October 29: Rahi Sarnobat, a sport shooter from India, has built a decorated career in the 25 metre pistol event. Her gold medals span the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, South Asian Games, World Cup and Commonwealth Youth Games.
Sarnobat turned 36 on Friday. She was born on October 30, 1990, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and her full name is Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat.
Origins in Kolhapur
Sarnobat was first introduced to firearms during NCC training at school, where she learnt to use guns and pistols. Her shooting journey gained momentum after her school senior Tejaswini Sawant won a shooting gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
She initially had to manage without adequate facilities. Moving to Mumbai for training gave her access to better infrastructure.
Commonwealth and Youth Success
In 2008, Sarnobat won gold in the 25 metre pistol event at the Commonwealth Youth Games held in Pune. That victory drew attention and opened doors to larger competitions.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, she took silver in the individual event and gold in the pairs event with Anisa Sayyed.
World Cup Milestones
At the 2011 World Cup in Fort Benning, she claimed bronze in the 25 metre pistol event. The result earned her an Olympic quota and made her the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics in the event.
She finished 19th in the qualification round at the 2012 London Olympics and did not advance to the final.
In 2013, Sarnobat won gold in the 25 metre pistol event at the World Cup in Changwon. She became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a World Cup gold. That year, she also won silver in the team event at the Asian Championship in Tehran alongside Anisa Sayyed and Surabhi Pathak.
Glasgow, Incheon and Guwahati
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she won gold in the 25 metre pistol event. At the Incheon Asian Games the same year, she won bronze in the team event with Anisa Sayyed and Heena Sidhu.
In 2016, she won gold in the individual and team 25 metre pistol events at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, teaming up with Anisa Sayyed and Annu Raj Singh.
Asian Games History
At the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Sarnobat won the 25 metre pistol event. This made her the first Indian woman to win a shooting gold at the Asian Games.
Latest Results
Sarnobat won silver in the 25 metre pistol event at the 2021 World Cup in New Delhi and later won gold in the same event at the World Cup in Osijek. She took part in the 2026 Asian Games but missed out on a medal.
Career Beyond Shooting
She is currently working as Deputy Collector (Revenue) in the Maharashtra government. She was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2018.