CHATEAUROUX: Sarabjot Singh looked a little lost after assuring himself of a medal in Manu Bhaker‘s company. This was his first Olympics, and the medal was taking time to sink in.
“I am lost for words.I don’t know what to say,” he admitted to the media, struggling to come to terms with all the attention in the mixed zone.
The 22-year-old sardar comes across as a shy person, a man of few words. Like Manu, he too has been shooting well here. He failed to make the final of the men’s 10m air pistol individual final by a whisker. He finished ninth in the qualification, succumbing to pressure towards the end.
He started poorly on Tuesday but found his rhythm after a while and had nine 10s, including a 10.5 of the 13 shots he took.
Sarabjot once described himself as a “hobby shooter”. Forget shooting, he was not much into sports in his school days. He liked playing football, though. During the summer holidays, he went to a shooting camp with his friends, despite his parents not being keen on it. He liked the pistol, enjoyed hitting the targets and was hooked.
His father Jatinder Singh, a farmer, knew that shooting was an expensive sport. But he gave in to his son’s demands and allowed him to pursue his hobby. He would drop his son at the bus stand in his village Dheen. Sarabjot would travel 50km to Ambala by train and return late in the evening. He was only 16 then.
Didn’t he get bored of the routine? “I did get bored after two years but my friend Chetan convinced me to continue. And I did,” he smiled. The hobby soon became his passion. Coach Abhishek Rana helped him hone his technical skills.
In 2019, Sarabjot won the gold medal at the Junior World Championship in Suhl, Germany. He graduated to the senior ranks soon after that. He graduated from the college too. His father was keen that he completed his studies. He got his degree from DAV College, Chandigarh.
Asked about his day out at the range, Sarabjot said: “We had a strategy in place. I had worked on my technique and gave my best. I was trying to get the high 10s, but that did not come. Thanks to Manu, she kept us in the hunt.”
What routine did he follow coming into the final? Was there pressure last night. I slept at 9.30 pm, woke up at 5.30 am. Got ready, ate breakfast and came here. Nothing special or unusual. When I got to the shooting station and looked at my lane, I felt relaxed,” he said.
Sarabjot loves fast cars, SUVs. He bought his first one in 2021. With the medal in the bag, which car will he gift himself now? “I will not reveal that now,” he said, the shy smile turning into a big grin.
The medal will change his life. One would hope it will not change him too.
