Sarabjot starts from zero after high of Paris Olympics bronze

Winning a medal at the Olympics can be a lifelong memory for any athlete, especially for Indians given how rare it is to join the single-digit club every edition. Sarabjot Singh is made of an even rarer mindset.

- Rutvick Mehta

"I have to forget that I am an Olympian," he said.

The pistol shooter had to be reminded that he's more than an Olympian. He's also an Olympic medallist.

"Haan, woh bhi (Yes, even that)," he added.

It's been a little over 12 months since Sarabjot stood on the podium alongside Manu Bhaker in Chateauroux after winning the 10m air pistol mixed bronze and delivering one of India’s six medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the year gone by, the 23-year-old from Ambala has made just two notable competitive appearances: the Uttarakhand National Games in February and an own-cost outing at the Munich World Cup in June.

Sarabjot did not make the cut and is not part of the large Indian contingent in Kazakhstan for the Asian Shooting Championship starting on Saturday, with Saurabh Chaudhary headlining the men’s pistol trio. While most of the Paris Games shooters feature in the squad and are back in the thick of things, Sarabjot doesn't feel like he’s missing out.

“Not at all,” he said over the phone from Ambala. “I was clear that the process I am in, it will take some time to come back.”