When I saw his reaction, I couldn’t control myself, says coach Rana Jaspal
India’s junior shooting chief coach Rana Jaspal said he was brought to tears after seeing the reaction on the face of his 17-year-old prodigy, Sarabjot Singh, who struck gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup. India ended Thursday on top of the table with 22 medals, of which nine are gold.
When Sarabjot, the youngest competitor at the finals of the men’s 10m air pistol event, held his nerve to win the gold medal for India, even the impassive Jaspal was brought to tears. It was, in another sense, vital for India’s quest to stay atop the medals tally. China, who won the silver and bronze at the same event, moved to 22 medals, like India, but with seven golds.
"This gold matters a lot to us. We have been beating the Chinese for the last few years in this World Cup, and they were very close on our tails. I wasn't trying to hide my tears. It was a natural reaction to a special gold medal. The pressure on him to perform in the final was intense and when I saw his reaction after the final, I couldn't control myself," Jaspal told Firstpost.
Despite an overall below-par performance in the qualifying stage, Sarabjot was imperious in the opening stage of the final. He opened up a 4.1 lead after 17 shots. over the pursuing Shichang Lu, the eventual bronze winner. But the next three shots — 9.7, 8.4, 9.6 — allowed the Chinese shooter to claw back the lead to just 0.8. The coach was particularly proud of the way the youngster composed himself under the pressure.
"In a final, everything is possible. But despite those poor shots, he kept his cool to deliver gold. He's a calm and composed guy. What was impressive is how he fought his own battle in the final when you cannot talk to your coach," Jaspal said.
Earlier this year, Sarabjot had won the gold medal in the Asian Airgun Championship as well. His recent form is sure to catch a lot of attention from the public. However, his coach had a note of warning to the senior management of these promising sporting talents.
"For these young shooters, a lot of protection is required. When they're in the junior side, they're protected. They live a controlled life. But once they make it into the senior ranks, they're like free birds. There's so much money and fame being given to them that it makes them lose focus. We need to protect them from that," Jaspal added.
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