Heena Sidhu Biography
Heena Sidhu is one of India’s best sport shooter. She became the first Indian pistol shooter to reach the first position in world rankings by the International Shooting Sport Federation. In 2013, Heena Sidhu also became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a gold medal in the ISSF World Cup finals when she won the 10-meter air pistol event. Apart from that in 2014, Sidhu was the World record holder in the 10-meter air pistol event with a final score of a whopping 203.8.
Personal life
Heena Sidhu biography:- In the year 2013, Sidhu received a Bachelor of Dental Surgery. She was going to make Dentistry her career. But Sidhu’s father was a national sports shooter, and he inspired her to start shooting as a sport. Her brother is also a fantastic shooter in the 10-meter air pistol event. Sidhu’s uncle is a gunsmith and gun customizer. On seventh February 2013, Sidhu married Ronak Pandit, who is also a pistol shooter who acts as her coach. Sidhu resides in an area called Goregaon in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Her Hometown is Ludhiana, Punjab.
Sidhu initially started to shoot with a rifle, which is considered to be one of the biggest and most sophisticated guns around. However, considering that the weapon needed such complicated side pieces like an eyepiece, gas cylinders, heavy jackets, stiff trousers, stout shoes, stands and many more. Hence, Sidhu chose to go with a more straightforward and lesser expensive gun, the pistol, for a year. She stuck with the humble pistol ever after.
How Heena Sidhu Paved the Way
Heena Sidhu biography:- Her initial success involved Sidhu starting her shooting journey in 2006 when she took part in the national junior team and the senior team. She would also go to the Patiala Club for her shooting practices.
While Sidhu had started to make her name in the shooting world, she was also simultaneously studying dentistry at the Gyan Sagar Dental College. Heena’s first achievement in the shooting spectrum was when she won a silver medal at the Beijing ISSF World Cup.
Sidhu then, later on, went on to finish at the top of the podium in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the National Championship in Kerala.
Heena Sidhu at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games started the year with another booming success, winning gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games’ women’s pairs 10m air pistol with her partner Annu Raj Singh. The duo had 384 points between themselves. In the singles tournament, she won silver.
In November of that very year, she again proved her worth with a silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian in Women’s 10m air pistol in the team event with her teammates Sonia Rai and Annu Raj Singh.
Heena Sidhu biography:- Sidhu was among the Indian shooting contingent to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London, England. In the event, she competed in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event. Unfortunately, Heen could only secure a position that was below average. She managed to finish only at the 12th position in the qualification round of the summer Olympics. But she still persisted, it was a valuable learning experience for this budding shooter.
Bouncing back with another success, Heena won the gold medal at the 2013 ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. She beat exceptionally talented shooters in the form of Serbia’s world champion Zorana Arunovic, and the then current champion, Olena Kostevych of Ukraine by 203.8 points finish in the finals. This figure gave her a 5- point lead by the end of the event.
In 2014, she secured the first place at the National Shooting trials by a close margin of 0.1 points over Rahi Sarnobat.
Sidhu was also bestowed with the Arjuna Award by the Indian Government, which is a feather to her hat.
Later on, in the year 2016, Sidhu again qualified for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. However, she finished 14th and 20th in the two events she took part in.
In 2017, Sidhu went on to claim the gold medal in women’s 10-meter air pistol event at the 2017 Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane
In the following year, Heena won the gold medal in the women’s 25-meter air pistol event at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Heena Sidhu – Controversy
Heena Sidhu biography:- she had made a bold statement by not cohering with the rules and refusing to wear the hijab for the competing in an Airgun competition in Iran. The tournament, Asian Airgun Shooting Championship, was held December in Tehran.
She withdrew from the meet because of the country’s insistence on female contestants adhering to the dress code which states that it is mandatory for female participants to wear the ‘hijab’.
She said in a tweet:
“Forcing tourists or foreign guests to wear ‘hijab’ is against the spirit of the game. Since I don’t like it, I have withdrawn my name,” Heena told Times of India. “You follow your religion and let me follow mine. I’ll not participate in this competition if you are going to force me to comply with your religious beliefs,”
The organizers had made it clear on their official website that the female contestants will have to wear clothing in compliance with the rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Heena Sidhu’s achievements
2018
GOLD MEDAL
25m Sport Pistol event at Commonwealth Games, 2018.
SILVER MEDAL
10m Air Pistol event at Commonwealth Games, 2018.
2017
GOLD MEDAL
10m Air Pistol event at Commonwealth Championship,
Brisbane 2017.
GOLD MEDAL
Gold medal in 10m Mixed Team event ISSF World Cup Final
New Delhi, 2017
First Indian Pistol Shooter with two World Cup Final Titles.
GOLD MEDAL
Gold medal in 10m Mixed Team event
Gabala, 2017
GOLD MEDAL
Gold at ISSF World Cup 10m Mixed Team event
New Delhi, 2017
2016
GOLD MEDAL
Asia Olympic Qualifiers 2016
Delhi
Heena won a gold medal at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers 2016
Position 14
OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO 2016
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
HEENA SECURED 14TH POSITION AT OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO 2016
2015
GOLD MEDAL
Asian Airgun Championship 2015
Delhi
HEENA WON A GOLD MEDAL AT ASIA AIRGUN CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
GOLD MEDAL
ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
KUWAIT
HEENA WON A GOLD MEDAL AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
2014
GOLD MEDAL
ASIAN AIRGUN CHAMPIONSHIP 2014
KUWAIT
HEENA WON A GOLD MEDAL AT ASIAN AIRGUN CHAMPIONSHIP 2014
SILVER MEDAL
ISSF WORLD CUP 2014
FORT BENNING
HEENA WON A SILVER MEDAL AT ISSF WORLD CUP 2014
BRONZE MEDAL
ASIAN GAMES 2014
INCHEON
HEENA WON A BRONZE MEDAL AT ASIAN GAMES 2014
2013
GOLD MEDAL WITH A NEW WORLD RECORD
ISSF WORLD CUP FINAL 2013
MUNICH
HEENA WON A GOLD MEDAL AT ISSF WORLD CUP FINAL 2013
2012
Rank 12
Olympic Games 2012
London
HEENA WON A Rank 12 AT Olympic Games 2012
GOLD MEDAL
ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
DOHA
HEENA WON A GOLD MEDAL AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
2010
GOLD & SILVER MEDAL
COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010
DELHI
HEENA WON A GOLD & SILVER MEDAL AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010
SILVER MEDAL
ASIAN GAMES 2010
GUANGZHOU
HEENA WON A SILVER MEDAL AT ASIAN GAMES 2010
2009
SILVER MEDAL
ISSF WORLD CUP 2009
BEIJING
HEENA WON A SILVER MEDAL AT ISSF WORLD CUP 2009
2007
BRONZE MEDAL
Asian Championship
KUWAIT
HEENA WON A BRONZE MEDAL AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
Some Facts about Heena Sidhu
- Heena’s first international medal as a junior came which in the year 2007
- Heena Sidhu has been one of the brightest Indian pistol shooters for some time now. She is a former World No. 1 and world record holder.
- Heena Sidhu was born on 29th August 1989 in Ludhiana, Punjab. Her father, Rajbir Sidhu was also a National level shooter himself along with her uncle, Inderjit Sidhu who is a professional gunsmith and owns a gun business. She was naturally exposed to different kinds of pistols and other shooting guns from a minimum age. Under her uncle’s supervision, she would always start trying her hand at the firearms.
- Heena first honed her skills right at her home. Sidhu’s father had put up a quaint shooting range outside their childhood house, and it was there that she learned the very basics of shooting. Her uncle also helped time and again in the tuning of the equipment to make them function at the highest level.
- She became a practicing shooter since 2006, and her first big international medal as a junior came in 2007 when she won the bronze in 10m Air Pistol at the Asian Shooting Championships.
- Sidhu’s talent was rewarded with her first ISSF World Cup medal in 2009. As a 19-year-old, she claimed the silver that every year in Beijing.
- She carried her incredible form into next year and announced herself as a noteworthy contender with superb showings at the Commonwealth Games and the spectacular Asian Games. She went on to finish the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad with a silver medal in the individual category.
- She also got a great chance to represent India at the Olympics for the first time in 2012 where she ended up getting the 12th in the qualification round. But the determined shooter was able to shake it off soon and came back stronger.
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