Exclusive | Ashi Chouksey: Aiming high, one shot at a time

When you see Ashi Chouksey on the shooting range, it’s not just the rifle in her hands that commands attention — it’s the stillness in her posture, the razor-sharp gaze, and the kind of unshakable calm that only champions exude. In her photos from the range — hair neatly tied, eyes locked in, stance unflinching — she looks like she was born to silence the chaos around her with one perfect shot.

But behind that steely exterior is a 22-year-old whose journey is anything but ordinary. Whether it’s breaking the national record in the 50m rifle 3 positions event or topping qualification rounds with scores rivaling world records, Ashi is proving that India’s next shooting icon is already here — focused, fearless, and fiercely consistent.

As the Indian shooting team heads to the Munich World Cup 2025, beginning June 8, Ashi steps into the spotlight not just with medals and records, but with a mission. A mission that began in Bhopal and is now aiming straight for Los Angeles 2028.

The past six months have been nothing short of phenomenal for the 22-year-old shooter. A national record of 598 in the 50m Rifle 3 Position event earlier this year shocked even Ashi herself.

“Till now, I can’t believe I shot that,” she admits, recalling how she almost cried mid-match after realizing her near-flawless score. But there's no time to rest on laurels — in her world, every match is a fresh battlefield.

“Once you shoot a good score, you need to achieve that again and again,” she said in an exclusive interview to WION. It’s a mindset that has become second nature to her, where each shot demands perfection, and each day is another chance to prove she deserves her place on the podium.

Ashi’s confidence is matched by her candid realism. “Getting to number one is easy, maintaining it is very, very difficult,” she says. That tension, the pressure of having 28,000 shooters in India now competing — a huge jump from the 4,000 a few years ago — doesn’t intimidate her. It fuels her.

“Somehow, I love challenges in shooting.”

The upcoming World Cup in Munich — a global hotbed for top-tier shooting talent — is a challenge she’s excited about. “It’ll be very competitive. But I’m confident,” she says with calm determination.

Beyond her own performance, Ashi has a clear eye on the bigger picture. The exponential growth of shooting in India and the nation's impressive showing in events like the Paris Olympics speaks volumes about the sport’s upward trajectory. “India is becoming a superpower in shooting,” she declares proudly.

Looking ahead, the LA 2028 Olympics is a goal Ashi holds close to her heart. Missing out on the Paris Games by just two points, despite stellar performances internationally, was a moment of heartbreak — but also transformation. “Earlier, I just wanted to go to the Olympics. Now, I want a medal,” she asserts with fire in her voice.

And that’s the Ashi Chouksey difference. Even in disappointment, she finds clarity. Even in setbacks — like her challenging outing at the Argentina World Cup due to dry lenses and windy conditions — she sees lessons, not excuses. “We can’t change anything, but we can write it down in our diaries, learn, and be better prepared next time.”

Yes, diaries. Ashi maintains one diligently — logging every practice session, every match, even pre-match feelings. It’s her mirror, her motivator, her strategy manual. “It gives me a better view of myself. What worked, what didn’t, what to carry forward.”

When asked if she’s superstitious, she laughs. “Not really. But I do believe in knowing exactly what I’m doing.” In a sport where a 9.9 and 10.0 are separated by a microscopic margin, that attention to detail is not a luxury — it’s a necessity.

The upcoming Shooting League of India, too, excites Ashi. A chance for team-based competitions, playing alongside and against international talent, is something she believes will revolutionise Indian shooting.

“League brings people together. Just like IPL, maybe someday our league will be that big.”
For now, though, Ashi Chouksey is focused on the task at hand — Munich. There’s a quiet ambition in her voice when she speaks about her next goal: breaching the perfect 600 mark. “I want to do it at a big competition. I think I can.”

And with every shot, every note in her diary, every moment of self-talk in front of the mirror, Ashi moves one step closer to that magic number — and to the place in history that seems all but inevitable.