Home in heart, shooters ready for departure
NEW DELHI: Rahi Sarnobat is not used to battling conflicting thoughts in her head. Sarnobat, India’s ace pistol shooter, is about to head to Zagreb on 11 May to train for the upcoming Olympic Games after having recovered from Covid-19. While the three-month long training camp in the Croatian city will be held in a secure bio-bubble, where Sarnobat will be with fellow Tokyo-bound shooters (the country’s biggest medal hopes), the 30-year-old cannot but help think of her family, who she will be leaving behind in Maharashtra in the middle of the devastating second wave of the pandemic.
Because India’s top shooters will head directly to Tokyo from Zagreb, Sarnobat knows that somehow, she will have to find the strength to keep her focus on her sport.
“I know I have to do whatever is required,” said the world No.2 in 25m pistol. “If I have to leave my country, leave my family, I have to do it.”
It is a battle between her two sides, the athlete and the family girl. “I do feel I should be with the family, even though I know they have people around them. We are a large family and there is a strong support system,” said Sarnobat. “But I am who I am because of my family and their support.”
Sarnobat hasn’t faced this emotional dilemma before, but at a time when India is struggling with the worst wave of the pandemic in the world, unprecedented challenges are simply the reality.
“Trying to win a medal is my duty too. If I don’t do it somebody else will, we have such talent in India,” she said. “I know that the athlete in me has to be the priority, but I have never felt like this before.”
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) took the decision to shift the Olympic contingent to Zagreb after realizing that it would have been nearly impossible to keep them safe in India from the pandemic’s violent surge at the moment. India’s shooters had anyway lost nearly a year of competitive action because of the pandemic by the time they were in action at the world cup in Delhi in March. Despite the long absence, they performed brilliantly, proving that India remains one of the best shooting nations in the world right now.
Sarnobat herself was infected with the virus last month, immediately after the world cup. She had all the common symptoms—sore throat, fever and fatigue.
“The first week of quarantine was difficult, with no smell, no taste and breathing problems. My mother was also infected but she wasn’t as ill as me,” she said, having returned to training two weeks ago while being cautious enough to allow her body to recover fully.
Sarnobat is not the only shooter who is finding it hard to let go of friends and family during this time, Sanjeev Rajput too finds himself in the same boat. In the last couple of weeks, Rajput’s Whats-App groups with his schoolmates have witnessed many cries for help.
“We are all going through a tough situation, so for the first time I have been having mixed feelings... then again we have to think about winning medals at the Olympics for the country too,” said the seasoned 3-position rifle shooter, who will be competing in his third Olympics.
“Zagreb is a small place and there are not many cases. The temperature is soothing too, so it will be a good place to prepare.”
For some shooters, like Anjum Moudgil, who was unable to train during the lockdown in Chandigarh because of the lack of a 50m range in the city, shifting to Zagreb will provide the opportunity for an intensely focused preparatory phase.
“Staying away for three months is not an issue as Olympics is a dream for us. Any sacrifice to achieve that dream is worth it and I would be happy to train without any kind of distraction,” said Moudgil, the world No 3.
But Sarnobat fears bubble-fatigue, which has affected so many international cricketers in recent times. She says she has voiced her concerns with the NRAI.
“Yes, we have been in a bubble in India since October. But India is still home and things are in your control. Staying abroad is very different,” she said.