NEW DELHI, July 30
Sarabjot Singh scripted his redemption in the 10m pistol mixed event by winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 alongside Manu Bhaker. A few days ago, Sarabjot had a heart-breaking debut at the Games as he missed out on the final berth in the men’s 10m pistol event on Saturday, July 27, by a whisker. The duo of Sarabjot and Manu created history as they brought India their second medal in the Paris Olympics 2024. The young shooter conquered heartbreak to win a bronze medal in Paris.
Sarabjot hails from Dheen village of Ambala in Haryana and is the son of a farmer, Jatinder Singh, and a homemaker, Hardeep Kaur. He completed his studies from DAV College in Chandigarh and trained under coach Abhishek Rana. Sarabjot’s introduction to shooting happened during his childhood days when he saw a few kids wielding air guns at a makeshift range during the summer camp.
The Olympic winner was just 13 back then and wished to be a footballer. However, the sight of children aiming at paper targets with pistols could not leave his mind. In 2014, Sarabjot went to his father and said, ‘Dad, I want to pursue shooting.” His father, who is a farmer, told him that the sport is quite expensive.
But eventually, Sarabjot insisted for months on taking up shooting, and he won the Gold medal at the Junior World Championship, Suhl in 2019.
Sarabjot and Manu scirpt history
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh secured India’s second medal at the Paris Olympics on July 30, Tuesday, earning a bronze in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre. India led 4-2 after the third series and extended their lead to 8-2 after the fifth. Although South Korea narrowed the gap to 10-6 after the eighth series, the Indian duo maintained their composure to secure a comfortable victory.
This marks Sarabjot’s first Olympic medal. Manu, on the other hand, became the first Indian to win multiple medals at single Olympic Games. She had already opened India’s account at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
However, the fairytale ending happened after he had a hard time at the shooting centre earlier. The Indian shooter finished in the ninth spot amongst 33 athletes with a score of 577-16x in the Men’s 10m air pistol qualification. He lost the eighth spot to Germany’s Robin Walter by a tiny margin, as both men had the same average by the end of the series.
As he failed to qualify, as he could barely speak to the host broadcaster. The youngster somehow mustered up the courage to speak and revealed that he had an off day despite giving his best. He also said that he would take the learning from the first Olympic forward and will try to work on his technique and work he did.
