Changing the fortunes of shooter Sarabjot Singh: from a feeling of hopelessness to an Olympic medal three days later

Pistol shooter Sarabjot Singh experienced the extreme highs and lows of elite sport in his first Olympics. Inconsolable after a narrow miss in the 10m individual air pistol event, Sarabjot upped his game to match his more talented teammate Manu Bhaker and secure a second shooting medal for India at the Paris Games. After last week’s heartbreak when the 22-year-old from Dheen village near Ambala lost the men’s 10m air pistol final by the slimmest of margins, an inside 10 to be specific, his entire shooting journey that began in 2016 passed before his eyes.

Sitting in despair on the qualifying track, Sarabjot thought about his daily 35 km bus journey to train at Abhishek Rana’s academy in Ambala, about the immeasurable sacrifice of his father who could only support his family with his limited agricultural income and also with your US-based income. grandfather, who made sure his grandson never had to give up expensive shooting equipment.

“All I could think about after that final was what my father did for me all my life, my grandfather’s support in the US and all the lonely trips I took on the bus to Ambala during the first two years of my career. Now that I have won a medal, I hope to improve my parents’ lives,” Sarabjot said.

Having made history moments before, he was also able to smile and look back on his early days with fun.

“I got bored after two years on the bus. From the third year onwards I used to ride with a friend called Chetan. In 2021, I got a car to go to the stand (laughs),” said Sarabjot, who also has several medals to his name at world events.

Considering his mood on the opening day of the competition, it was remarkable that Sarabjot managed to turn things around and match Manu shot for shot in the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze medal play-off against Korea do Sul, here on Tuesday.

Not to take anything away from Sarabjot and Manu’s memorable performance under pressure, individual gold medalist and Paris 2024 Olympic record holder Oh Ye Jin’s underwhelming performance allowed the breathing space the Indians needed when pressured by the Koreans.

Sarabjot felt nervous at the start and shot 8.6, but found consistency in the second half of the play-offs to complement Manu, who managed three shots under 10 compared to his teammate’s four.

“There was no pressure. Yesterday I slept at 9:30 am and woke up at 5:30 am. But when I arrived here at the stand, I was a little nervous because there was excitement around it,” said Sarabjot, a Khelo India athlete since 2019 who has participated in four Khelo India Games and is a Target Olympic Podium Scheme athlete.

How did he manage to overcome the disappointment of the individual event? “My family motivated me. I spoke to the coaches and tried to analyze what went wrong. The conversation with the coach was mainly technical,” said Sarabjot.

Significant credit of Sarabjot’s success must also go to his friend and fellow shooter Adiya Malra, who trains with him at Rana’s academy in Ambala.

“Both Sarabjot and Adiya approached me around the same time in 2016. They share a great bond and believe that they do not need to train with anyone else to prepare for any event.

“Aditya did not participate in the Olympic trials but was there with Sarabjot to give him moral support. I wish he was with us here too,” said an emotional Rana at the shooting range after confirming the medal.

Rana felt that Sarabjot was not at his best on Tuesday, but his execution was significantly better than in the individual event.

“He managed to perform better today. He is still not satisfied with the results and that is reflected in his face. He will aim for individual gold at the next Olympics. That is our main objective now,” said the coach. .

Rana also recalled a pivotal moment in Sarabjot’s career.

“His uncle brought him to me in 2016 and he started training on the first day. The following year he won bronze at the nationals, that was the moment his outlook changed forever,” said Rana, who can also prepare home-cooked meals for Sarabjot when he is training at home.

Without accreditation here, Rana bought daily tickets to be with his protégé at the stand.

Returning to India on Wednesday, Sarabjot did not leave the strip without giving credit to the institutions that looked after him.

“The biggest contribution, I would say, comes from TOPS, OGQ and Khelo India. They provided all the equipment and facilities I needed.”

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)