Shooting | Rahi Sarnobat emphasizes reading as weapon in her success

10/06/2018

Rahi Sarnobat has stated that reading helps an athlete grow in both personal and professional life. Rahi became the first woman to win a gold medal in shooting for India at Asian Games as she won the said medal in the women’s 25 metres pistol event at 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

It was in the year 2010 that the journey for the now 27 year old girl began when she won two medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, one gold and another silver medal. Since then Rahi Sarnobat has not looked back winning medals at various events such as a bronze at 2011 ISSF Shooting World Cup in the USA, a gold medal at Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 and as recently as the Asian Games in Indonesia where she bettered her performance previous Asian Games in Incheon where she won a bronze in the team event.

“By not reading, you are not just losing as a shooter, but also as a human being, reading gives you maturity. A 20-year-old can match the mental age and get the experience of a 30 year old only if he/she reads well. Reading can give them a different level of maturity and understanding. It can empower them to handle failures better. My seniors have been well read, I can’t say the same about my juniors." Sarnobat told TNN.

“This Asian Games win was exhausting for me. Despite being in the Indian team for four years, I couldn’t win anything big. I was living through that pressure and used to have sleepless nights. So when I won the medal, there was no scream of joy. There was rather a sigh of relief and a feeling of finally having a good sleep. Even after the win, I felt tired mentally. The pressure actually robbed me of the celebration. “I wasn’t happy after the gold. I was satisfied as I got to know that I was on a right track”.

Getting sponsors can be a tough job in India particularly if a person plays any sport other than mainstream sports such as Cricket, football or hockey. It also takes a lot of effort to keep the sponsorship going as the Arjuna Awardee says.

“I was not active on social media till some time back, but then I missed out on some sponsors because I didn’t have good social media presence. Sponsors want some visibility on the social media, so here I am. I have adjusted to the idea. I am a sportsperson, but the sponsors are running their business houses and I respect their need of being visible through the athletes.”

Continuing on her love for reading the Arjuna Awardee said that she started going to library from an age when she could not even read.

“My grandfather was an avid reader and he used to take me to a library close to our house in Kolhapur. I didn’t even know how to read, but he used to tell me to pick a book ‘by the colour I liked’. All the authors I have read have been great, but nothing can beat my love for SL Bhyrappa’s writing. I have realised that Bhyrappa’s books are my type of books.”

Shooting | Rahi Sarnobat emphasizes reading as weapon in her success

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