Pistol shooter Sarabjot Singh has experienced the extreme highs and lows of elite sport in his maiden Olympics. Inconsolable after a narrow miss in the individual 10m air pistol event, Sarabjot raised his game to match his more accomplished team-mate Manu Bhaker and secure a second shooting medal for India at the Paris Games. After the heartbreak of last week, when the 22-year-old from Dheen village near Ambala missed the men’s 10m air pistol final by the smallest of margins, an inner 10 to be specific, his whole shooting journey that began in 2016 flashed before his eyes.
Sitting in despair at the qualification range, Sarabjot thought about his 35km-long daily bus ride to coach Abhishek Rana’s academy in Ambala, the immeasurable sacrifice of his father who could just provide for his family with his limited farming income and also his US-based grandfather, who made sure that his grandson never had to compromise on expensive shooting equipment.
“All I could think after that final was what my father did for me his entire life, the support of my grandfather in the US and all the lonely journeys that I took on the bus to Ambala during the first two years of my career. Having got a medal now, I hope to make my parents lives better,” said Sarabjot.
Having made history moments earlier, he could also afford a smile and looked back at his early days with amusement.
“I got bored after two years in the bus. Third year onwards I used to ride with a friend name Chetan. In 2021, I got a car to go to the range (laughs),” said Sarabjot, who also has multiple medals to his name in world events.
Considering his state of mind on the opening day of the competition, it was remarkable that Sarabjot was able to turn it around and match Manu shot for shot in the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze medal play-off against South Korea here on Tuesday.
Not to take anything away from Sarabjot and Manu’s memorable performance under pressure, the underwhelming show of Paris 2024 individual gold medallist and Olympic record holder Oh Ye Jin allowed the breathing space the Indians needed when put under pressure by the Koreans.
Sarabjot felt the nerves at the start and shot an 8.6 but found consistency in the second half of the play-off to complement Manu, who managed three sub-10 shots compared to her team-mate’s four.
“There was no pressure. I slept at 9.30 yesterday and got up at 5.30. But when I got here at the range, I felt a bit of nerves as there was hype 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 get over the disappointment of the individual event? “My family motivated me. I spoke to the coaches and tried to analyse what went wrong. The talk with the coach was mainly technical,” said Sarabjot.
A significant credit of Sarabjot’s success should also go to his friend and fellow shooter Adiya Malra, who trains with him at Rana’s academy in Ambala.
“Both Sarabjot and Adiya came to me around the same time in 2016. They share a great bond and believe they don’t need to train with anyone else to prepare for any event.
“Aditya was not part of the Olympic selection trials but he was there with Sarabjot to provide him moral support. I wish he was with us here as well,” said an emotional Rana at the shooting range after the medal was confirmed.
Rana felt Sarabjot was not at his best on Tuesday but his execution was significantly better than the individual event.
“He was able to execute better today. He is still not happy with the scores and that was reflecting on his face. He will be going for an individual gold in the next Olympics. That is our main target heading 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 very first day. Next year he got a bronze at the nationals, that was the moment his vision changed forever,” said Rana, who can also churn home cooked meals for Sarabjot when he is training back home.
Without an accreditation here, Rana was buying daily tickets to be with his protégé at the range.
Heading back to India on Wednesday, Sarabjot did not leave the range without giving credit to institutions that looked after him.
“The biggest contribution I would say is from TOPS, OGQ and Khelo India. They provided all the equipment and facilities that I needed.”
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