Sarabjot Singh: A lion-hearted Sikh enjoys his moment in the Chateauroux sun after clinching Olympic bronze

An Olympic medal on debut – it could not have been much sweeter for Sarabjot Singh, Manu Bhaker’s partner in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday. A lion-hearted Sikh who believes in training for hours, Sarabjot hails from a small village near Ambala in Haryana.

When he was in school, coaches saw sporting potential in him. Yet, it was only when he was chosen and mentored by Abhishek Rana, a former junior shooter himself, in Ambala that Sarabjot became dedicated.

“Sarabjot is a patient listener and will always do his best,” said Rana. “We have tried many things at training and he has responded well.”

This campaign at the Olympics was a hard one for Sarabjot. When he competed first, in 10m Air Pistol individual event, he was extremely unlucky not to make it to the final. One of only two shooters in the top 10 to shoot a perfect series of 100, Sarabjot paid the price for following that with a 93. In the end, he missed out on the final – only the first 8 qualify – on account of having hit one fewer X than Germany’s Robin Walter, who had also tallied 577 points.

But after that crushing disappointment, Rana made him sit down and relax. The last two days were about patience and penance, where Sarabjot realised that he and his teammate could fire without fear at the target.