The Olympics is the biggest of all tournaments. The pressure will not be bigger than it would be at the Olympics. Even the best of athletes will feel a bout of nerves hitting them, such is the magnitude of this event.
But for one man, the pressure won’t be as much. The mild summer weather and the air-conditioned rooms will be a pleasant offering for Naib Subedar Sandeep Singh, who is associated with the Sikh Light Infantry of the army.
His rise in the shooting arena has been meteoric, to say the least.
He secured his maiden Olympics ticket by beating out big names such as Arjun Babuta and Rudranksh Patil, the latter being the 2022 world champion, at the Olympic selection trials held in Delhi and Bhopal.
He will feature in two events at Paris: the men’s 10m air rifle and the air rifle mixed team, partnering with Elavenil Valarivan.
But for Sandeep, shooting was not his dream or a passion he followed since his childhood. It has always been the army. Army first, shooting next.
Hailing from a small village in Faridkot district in Punjab, getting into the army was the goal for Sandeep.
He became a cross-country athlete, which served as a means for him to join the army. But destiny had other ideas for Sandeep.
“I started shooting after joining the army; for me, it was first army, then shooting,” said Sandeep in an interaction with The Bridge.
“There are small competitions in the army, then nationals and internationals,” he added.
After exhibiting his talents in shooting, he was shifted to the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) in Mhow, Indore, where he was able to live and train with the best shooters from India.
Although he was placed in the reserves for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he failed a dope test, which led to a one-year suspension and a further expulsion from the AMU.
The road to Paris from Siachen
Following his suspension, he was posted at the Siachen glaciers for a few months, a tumultuous low for the shooter, as he had to stand guard for six hours at an altitude of 5400m above sea level, where oxygen levels were lower than normal.
Slowly but surely, he was able to come out of it and restarted his shooting career after his return from Siachen.
Since his return, he made steady progress with consistent performances across the board.
His redemption was complete when he was able to represent the country at the 2023 ISSF World Cup in Rio and put up a respectable display.
At the Cairo World Cup in 2024, he scored 630.4 and finished in 9th place.
He achieved his highest score of 633.4 at the 2024 Asian Championship in Jakarta.
His best was, however, yet to come. And it came during the Olympic selection trials held in Delhi and Bhopal.
In the Delhi trials, he managed an astonishing score of 634.4 and 632.6, and followed it up with 631.6 and 628.3 (out of a possible 654) in Bhopal.
By virtue of topping the selection trials, Sandeep booked his Paris ticket, beating out stalwarts of Indian shooting.
On Paris preparations
Sandeep is quite confident about his preparations for the Summer Games and is relatively relaxed ahead of the showdown.
“I just have to follow my process. Keep it the same way I have trained throughout,” he said.
He further added, “I am proud of my training, I have scored well, even in the 640s, and have done well in the finals as well.”
Major achievements
5th place, Air Rifle Mixed Team qualification- 2023 ISSF World Cup, Rio
14th place, Air Rifle men qualification- 2023 ISSF World Cup, Rio
9th place, Air Rifle men, Asian Championships 2024 with his highest score of 633.4
9th place, Air Rifle men, 2024 ISSF World Cup, Cairo, with a score of 630.4
Paris schedule
Air Rifle Mixed Team:
Qualification round and finals: 27th July
Men’s 10m Air Rifle:
Qualification round: 28th July
Finals: 29th July
From serving the country at subzero temperature at the highest battlefield in the world, Sandeep has travelled through thick and thin to be where he is and there are no doubts that he will give his heart out for the country he holds so close to his heart.