From an early fascination with weapons to twice standing on the Asian Games podium, Parinaaz Dhaliwal has come a long way.Parinaaz, whose ancestral village is Thikriwala in Barnala district and whose family has been based in Patiala for many years, created history at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan by winning bronze medals in the women’s skeet team and mixed skeet team events. The two medals were India’s first-ever Asian Games medals in these skeet team events.Parinaaz teamed up with Haryana’s Raiza Dhillon and Rajasthan’s Maheshwari Chauhan in the women’s skeet team event. In the mixed team event, she partnered Rajasthan’s Anantjeet Singh Naruka.Her journey in shooting began at an early age, initially driven by her fascination with weapons. Her father, Rattandeep Singh Dhaliwal, said she first took up air-rifle shooting before moving to trap. A visit to the Patiala shooting range changed the course of her sporting career when an operator suggested that she try skeet.“She immediately took to skeet and started practising in September 2015,” said Rattandeep.There was no looking back. Parinaaz steadily progressed in the sport, first qualifying through Punjab-level competitions and then clearing the pre-national and national-level events. She was later selected for the Indian junior core group.Her school, Mayo College, Ajmer, also played an important role in supporting her sporting ambitions. According to her father, the school accommodated her frequent absences for competitions and training while helping her continue her studies alongside a demanding shooting schedule.Born in 2001 and raised in Patiala, Parinaaz later graduated from MCM College in Chandigarh. She also trained under foreign coaches, including a coach from Norway and French shooter Anthony Terras, an Olympic medallist who is currently associated with her training.Her grandfather also strongly supported her shooting career, particularly because the sport is expensive.Parinaaz had competed at the previous Asian Games as well, but returned without a medal. This time, she had two opportunities in team events and converted both into podium finishes, although an individual medal remained elusive.For her family, the moment was special. “She called me after winning and said, ‘I made it.’ She was very happy, although she had a slight headache after the competition,” said her father.For Parinaaz, the twin bronze medals are another step towards her bigger goal of representing India at the Olympics and winning a medal there.Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer also congratulated her through a social media post.