India qualified a total of 15 shooters for the Tokyo Games. While nine of those 15 shooters are no longer in the medal race, there are still six shooters left.
Out of those six shooters, one name stands out from the rest. That name is Rahi Sarnobat.
Sarnobat was an exceptionally talented shooter as a teenager, winning a gold medal in the 25m pistol event at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. He then achieved that feat by winning 25 pistol team and individual gold and silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. respectively. She won her first World Cup medal in 2011 at Fort Benning and also went on to represent India at the London Olympics, where she finished 19th. She learned from that experience to win her first gold at a World Cup in Changwon in 2013, but then suffered a slump over the next few years as she struggled with form and injuries. The medal in Changwon made her the first Indian pistol shooter to win a World Cup gold.
With the likes of Heena Sidhu and Annu Raj Singh and junior phenom Manu Bhaker rocking the junior and senior circuits, Sarnobat looked like she could be left behind. However, she shrugged off any questions about her abilities by becoming the first Indian woman shooter in history to win a gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. His performance in the final was particularly striking as he set an Asian Games record. Remarkably strong field.
What makes Rahi Sarnobat a favorite in the Olympics?
Only two women have won more medals than Sarnobat in the event at the World Cup since the Rio Olympics. Sarnobat's three medals (two gold and one silver) are on par with fast-rising Veronica Major (two gold and one silver) and only Greece's Anna Korakaki (one gold and three bronze) and China's Zhang Jingjing (two gold and two). are more than. Silver), who has won four medals each.
Both of those women are among the greatest pistol shooters of all time. Korakaki is the defending champion in the event at the Olympics, while Zhang set an Olympic record by topping the qualification round of the event at the Rio Olympics, where she eventually finished fourth. Despite those achievements, Zhang did not make room for the Chinese entries for Tokyo. So based on form in the current Olympic cycle, it is safe to say that Korakaki and Sarnobat will start tomorrow as the two favourites.
Sarnobat (five medals) is ranked 14th on the all-time list of most successful women in the 25m pistol event at the World Cup. Of the 13 women ahead of her, only three will be in Tokyo: Maria Grozdeva, Nino Salukavdze and Gundegma Otrid. At 49, 52 and 43 respectively, Grozdeva, Saluvadze and Otrid's best years are probably behind them and only Grozdeva has won a World Cup medal in the event in the last Olympic cycle.
Why Tokyo might be the time for her to get the long overdue recognition
Even as many other shooters have garnered media attention over the years, Sarnobat has mostly kept a low profile and lets his shooting do the talking. However, she has a strong claim to be India's greatest female shooter of all time and one of the country's best shooters of all time.
Her three individual World Cup gold medals are the joint most by an Indian with Jitu Rai and she is the only Indian to win three gold medals in an event at a World Cup. Rai won gold medals in the 10m Air Pistol and 50m Pistol events. Her five individual World Cup medals are also the most by an Indian woman.
Though beyond the numbers, it is Sarnobat's skill in the final that particularly stands out. While she can sometimes struggle in the qualification rounds, her record in the finals is spotless.
Sarnobat made 11 finals in the 25m pistol event in his senior career and won four gold, one silver and one bronze in those 11 finals. It is safe to say that Sarnobat enters this Olympics in the best of his life as he has won a medal in each of the two World Cups this year. While she won one gold and one bronze in her first six finals, she has won three gold and one silver in her last five finals. The only time she didn't win a medal in those five finals was she finished fourth.
Although most of India's best pedigree shooters have failed to perform in this Olympics, Sarnobat may finally get the recognition his achievements have always deserved. However, for this, she will have to achieve another important feat by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal at the Olympics on Friday. If not, then at 30, his best years may still be ahead of him. He only needs to look to Grozdeva, Saluvadze and Otrid for inspiration.