MAHARASHTRA : It is rightly said that a child’s early traits shape the adult they become. For rifle shooter Sonam Maskar, that potential became visible soon after she participated in school-level competitions and then enrolled in a rifle-shooting academy in extended suburbs of Mumbai.
Sonam’s father, Uttam Maskar, who is a master in sociology, recalls how the family initially had little idea that rifle shooting would eventually become his daughter’s career.
“We have three children — two daughters and a son — and initially all of them were interested in chess. However, Sonam started drifting away from chess gradually and developed interest in other sports. At school, she participated in several major sports but had a particular liking for rifle shooting,” Uttam said. To confirm whether Sonam had an aptitude for air rifle shooting, her parents started searching for shooting academies in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and found a well-established academy in Panvel.
“We went to Panvel, where competitions in different air-rifle categories were being held. Sonam was one of the participants. The academy told us that they would call us and inform us about her performance,” Uttam recalled.
The family then left for their home in Mumbai’s western suburbs. But soon after they reached home, following a journey of nearly one-and-a-half hours, they received an unexpected phone call.
“The academy told us that Sonam had performed very well and could participate in a state-level air-rifle shooting competition in Kolhapur the very next day. They had enrolled her as a participant. We had very little time to travel more than 400 kilometres,” Uttam said. They left for Kolhapur and reached in time for the competition, he added.
To the family’s surprise, Sonam finished fourth in her first state-level competition. So far, Sonam has participated in 13 international competitions, winning two gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal, according to her family.
Her biggest achievement came recently when she won the silver medal in the women’s 10-metre air-rifle event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. With a score of 634.1 points, she was the highest scorer among the Indian shooters in the event. During the Covid pandemic, Sonam’s shooting practice came to a halt.
“Sonam had started showing her talent, but the pandemic stopped her rifle-shooting practice. Every day, she would ask us to enrol her in an academy so that she could continue practising and pursue her dream,” Uttam recalled. Eventually, he found a shooting academy in Kolhapur, although it was nearly 60 km from their home.
Sonam recalls that her interest in shooting developed during her college years. “In my college, there were four major sports — archery, boxing, judo and rifle shooting. I was not interested in boxing or judo, so I initially enrolled in archery. But I could not sustain it and eventually moved to rifle shooting,” she said.
“I won a medal in district-level competitions. I continued participating and winning medals every year. Gradually, shooting became my career,” Sonam said.
She credits her parents and sponsors for standing by her during the difficult years.
“I am happy and proud that my parents and sponsors supported me throughout this difficult journey. Without my parents’ support, I would not have reached this stage,” she said. “My parents sold their land to support me and buy the rifle and other equipment. It was a very difficult decision, but they did not think twice.”
