"I asked God to have mercy on our children" - Sarabjot Singh's father Jatinder thanks Almighty for his son's success at Paris Olympics 2024
As Sarabjot Singh scripted history at the Paris Olympics 2024, his father Jatinder Singh wept tears of joy in front of a television set at his Ambala home. While the 22-year-old stood proudly on the podium after winning bronze in the 10-meter air pistol mixed doubles with Manu Bhaker, Jatinder sent out a tearful prayer, thanking the Almighty.
A humble farmer from Dheen village in the Ambala district of Haryana, Jatinder started nurturing big dreams for his son ever since a 13-year-old Sarabjot stepped into the AR Shooting Academy to train under coach Abhishek Rana.
After Sarabjot left for a training camp in Luxembourg in the run-up to the Paris Olympics, Jatinder visited every Temple and Gurudwara in and around the village to pray for his son's success.
His prayers were answered on Tuesday (July 30) when Sarabjot teamed up with Manu Bhaker to defeat formidable South Korea in the playoff for the bronze medal.
In the process, Sarabjot became the first male shooter to win an Olympic medal for India since Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar climbed the podium at the 2012 London Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Jatinder compared his son's achievement to the Maha Kumbh, a Hindu religious event held every 12 years. He said:
“I prayed to the Almighty and asked for blessings for our shooters competing at the Olympics. I asked God to have mercy on our children. Our shooters haven’t won an Olympic medal for the past 12 years. Now that they have tasted succes at the Olympics after 12 years, it feels like a holy occasion, just like the Kumbh Mela which also returns once every 12 years. I think God has answered our prayers."
Paris Olympics 2024: Redemption for Sarabjot Singh
For Sarabjot, Tuesday's victory was the culmination of an extremely tense four-day period. The 22-year-old suffered a rude jolt on his Olympic debut on the opening day of the Paris Games when he finished ninth in the men's 10-meter air pistol competition to crash out of medal contention.
None of that pressure and disappointment was visible on Tuesday, as Sarabjot and Manu dished out a calm and clinical performance.
Childhood dreams come true
Jatinder Singh feels all the sacrifices and hardships that the family had to endure to fund Sarabjot's training in an expensive sport like shooting have paid off.
“I’m very happy for Sarabjot. After all, it was at his insistence that I agreed to his taking up the sport. I wasn’t much aware about the sport back then, and found it to be an expensive sport. But he made up his mind to become a shooter, and got a very good coach in Abhishek Rana, who has been very supportive of our son,” Jatinder remarked.
“This medal is not only for the family, it’s for the entire nation, Sarabjot could make it to the podium only because of the good wishes and prayers of the entire nation,” he added.