Sarabjot Singh became a household name in India on Tuesday, July 30 after he paired up with Manu Bhaker in the 10m air pistol mixed team event to clinch bronze for the nation at the Paris Olympics. Sarabjot and Manu's effort brought ecstasy and gave a huge reason for the country to celebrate.
However, despite the wonderful achievement, Sarabjot didn't seem over the moon and it was because he was still hurting after failing to ace the men's 10m air pistol qualification event a few days ago.
Veteran journalist Samip Rajguru caught up with Sarabjot's coach Abhishek Rana after Sarabjot and Manu's historic feat in Paris and during the interaction, Rana revealed that Sarabjot was inconsolably distraught after missing out on the medal event in the men's 10m air pistol category.
Rana also mentioned that he spoke to Sarabjot after the disappointing result and motivated him to "move on" from it and focus at the task at hand.
"The relationship between a coach and an athlete is pious. The coach provides a proper direction to his disciple. I told him to move on from his defeat in the men's 10m air pistol qualification round and focus on winning a medal in the mixed-team event. However, Sarabjot was hurting and was bitterly disappointed by the result that he received in the men's qualification round," Rana told India TV.
Samip also interacted with Sarabjot's mentor and the director of sports at DAV College Chandigarh, Amanendra Mann who revealed how the institution facilitates the grooming of athletes studying there.
"We are working to facilitate sportspersons. We conduct exams separately for those athletes who struggle to strike a balance between academics and sports because of their hectic sporting schedules. The institution has been working hard to take the pressure away from the athletes since 2009," said Mann.
"Manu and Sarabjot are currently studying at DAV College Chandigarh. Vijayveer Sidhu, who will be participating in the 25m men's rapid fire pistol is also currently studying at the college. Anju Moudgil and Arjun Babuta are the alumni of DAV College Chandigarh. DAV College of Chandigarh aims to groom more shooters and athletes in the future," he added.
