“The dream is yet to be fulfilled”

There’s no better moment in the life of a sportsperson other than hearing their country’s national anthem being played and flag being hoisted at an international sporting event. If one is able to do so, they know that they have become the world’s best by outperforming other competitors.

Olympics is one such event where even the crème de la crème are unable to leave an impression at times. The quadrennial event brings with it intense action-packed moments that are not only riveting but are also someone’s success stories that linger on for generations.

In this exclusive interview with City Scope, we get a sneak peek into the lives of Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale who brought laurels to the country at the recently concluded 33rd edition of the Olympic Games that was held at Paris.

Sarabjot Singh, who made his Olympic Games debut at Paris 2024, won bronze along with Manu Bhaker in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event.

How does it feel to come back home victorious?
It feels really good to have won a medal for the country. The warm reception that I received on my return was exceptional. It’s hard to explain it through words. When I got home, my mom hugged me and congratulated me for my performance. It was my debut Olympics and I feel proud to have won my maiden Olympics medal.

What was the thought process during the bronze medal match against South Korea?
The thought was to give my best and not worry about the outcome. Both Manu and I wanted to keep giving our best till the very end. It was a tough match-up and all I wanted to do was stay focused. I tried to forget what happened in the previous shot and concentrate on the next one. Fortunately, we were able to execute well.

Swapnil Kusale, who became the first Indian shooter to qualify for the finals of the men’s 50-metre rifle 3 positions before going on to win a bronze in the finals, echoed a similar sentiment when asked about his thought process.
After making it to the finals, the preparation was similar like it has been always. I just followed my routine, gave emphasis to my physical fitness, and kept things simple. I didn’t have any other thoughts going on my mind or took anything for granted because I had made it to the finals.

During the event, at any point, did you think about the colour of the medal you could win?
I wasn’t thinking about the colour of the medal. I just wanted to give my best and make my country proud. Initially, I did see the score and rankings after the first 2-3 shots but after that, the intent was to just give my best and be in the right zone and concentrate on my breathing.

When asked about their future targets, the duo was quick to respond that their goal is yet to be achieved.
“At present, I am going to be on a break for a month. After that, preparations will begin once again. The aim is to bring more medals for the nation,” shared 22-year-old Singh.

“My dream for Paris 2024 was something else but I wasn’t able to fulfil it completely. I am elated to have a podium finish but I want to win a gold medal for the country. Obviously, when you win something, you are bound to be happy. However, my dream is to win gold and that is yet to be achieved. My eyes are set to shoot for gold at Los Angeles 2028,” said 29-year-old Kusale.

Apart from Singh and Kusale, other Indian Olympians who won medals at Paris 2024 include Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra, Aman Sehrawat, and the Indian Men’s Hockey Team. Let’s find out more about these winners in the next section.

Manu Bhaker | 2 Bronze, Shooting

She became the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach an Olympic shooting final, after Suma Shirur in 2004. Bhaker created history by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 10-metre air pistol final. The 22 year-old finished third with 221.7 points behind Korean shooters Kim Ye-ji (241.3) and Oh Ye-jin (243.2), who won silver and gold, respectively. With this feat, she became the first Indian woman shooter and fifth India shooter to win an Olympic medal.

In the following days, she went on to secure another bronze along with Sarabjot Singh in the 10 metre air pistol mixed team bronze medal match. The Indian pair won 16-10 against South Korea’s Lee Won-ho and Oh Ye-jin. By doing so, Bhaker became the first Indian woman to have won two medals at the same Olympics edition.

Other Indian shooters who won medals prior to Bhaker include Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who won silver in the men’s double trap at Athens 2004, Abhinav Bindra won gold in the men’s 10-metre air rifle at Beijing 2008, Vijay Kumar won silver in the men’s 25-metre rapid fire pistol at London 2012, and Gagan Narang won bronze in the men’s 10-metre air rifle at London 2012. Sarabjot is the sixth Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal.

Neeraj Chopra | Silver, Javelin Throw

With a javelin throw of 87.58 metres at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to secure a gold medal in athletics at the Olympic Games. In the process, he also became the youngest Indian to have secured gold in an individual event along with being the only Indian to have secured the top spot on Olympic debut.

Before Paris 2024, he was one of two Indians to have won an individual Olympic gold. The other being ace shooter Abhinav Bindra who won gold in the men’s 10-metre air rifle at Beijing 2008. Carrying the entire nation’s expectations to defend his title weighed heavy on Chopra’s shoulders. While he did give his best, his efforts of a 89.45-metre throw were sidelined by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who managed to throw 92.97 metres, setting a new Olympic Record in the process.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old won silver and became the fifth Indian (individual) to have secured two Olympic medals. Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics at Paris 1900 (pre-independence). Wrestler Sushil Kumar won bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012. Shuttler PV Sindhu won silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020. Shooter Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals at Paris 2024. Chopra won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024.

Aman Sehrawat | Bronze, Wrestling

The 21-year-old wrestler, who made his Olympic debut at Paris 2024, won bronze in the 57kg category after defeating Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz by 13-5 VPO1 (victory by points). With this, he became the youngest Indian to have won an individual Olympic medal at the age of 21 years and 24 days. He bettered PV Sindhu’s record of 21 years, one month and 14 days when she won a silver medal at Rio 2016 Olympics.

Sehrawat is the sixth male and seventh Indian wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. KD Jadhav (57kg) won bronze at Helsinki 1952, Sushil Kumar (66kg) won bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012, Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg) won bronze at London 2012, while Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg) and Bajrang Punia (65kg) won silver and bronze, respectively, at Tokyo 2020. The only female on thislist is Sakshi Malik (58kg) who won bronze at Rio 2016.

Indian Men’s Hockey | Bronze, Hockey

Field hockey, the most successful sport at the Olympics for India, has a legacy of its own that is unparalleled. India’s first gold medal pre-independence as well as post-independence came through field hockey at Amsterdam 1928 and London 1948, respectively.

The sport has brought 13 medals so far including eight gold, one silver, and four bronze. Out of the eight gold, six were won consecutively from 1928 to 1956. Moreover, the Indian team is the only team in the competition’s history to have won the Olympics without conceding a single goal at Amsterdam 1928 and Melbourne 1956.

Placed in Group B with New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Ireland, and Belgium, India showcased some fine skills and teamwork to finish second in the group stages with three wins, one draw, and a solitary loss in the five matches. In the quarter-finals, India beat Great Britain 4-2 in penalty shoot-outs after the game was tied 1-1 during the stipulated time. India’s dream run was halted by Germany in the semis where the Men in Blue were beaten 3-2 in a closely fought contest. The bronze medallists from Tokyo 2020 were then up against Spain in a bid to attain a podium finish.

Spain’s Marc Miralles scored the opening goal of the game in the 18th minute through a penalty stroke. The equaliser came through Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh who scored in the 30th minute through a penalty corner. Singh scored India’s second goal and his 10th of the tournament through another penalty corner in the 33rd minute that gave India an unassailable 2-1 lead.

With that, India won bronze and inched a step closer to bringing back the golden days of field hockey. It will be interesting to see whether or not the team is able to upgrade the colour of the medal in the next edition at Los Angeles 2028.

Hong Kong

As far as performance from Hong Kong Olympians is concerned, the medal tally of six medals — 1 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze — at Tokyo 2020 was reduced to four — 2 gold and 2 bronze — at Paris 2024. Here’s a look at the Hongkongers who were able to attain a podium finish.

Edgar Cheung Ka-long | Gold, Fencing

In 2020, Ka-long created history by winning Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal in fencing and its second-ever gold. The first gold medal was won by sailer Lee Lai-shan at Atlanta 1996. For his achievements, the 27-year-old was bestowed with the Silver Bauhinia Star — the highest possible award for an actively competing athlete. At Paris 2024, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medallist successfully defended his title by beating Italy’s Filippo Macchi in the finals of the men’s individual foil.

It was a close-contested bout as the margin of error was minimal. At the end of the first period, Ka-long was leading 11-10, however in the second period, Macchi was one point away from securing gold with the scoreline being 14-12. Ka-long fought back to secure three points and defend his title, making him the only Hong Kong Olympian to have two gold medals. Owing to his success, the city now has four gold medals (overall) at the Olympics.

Siobhan Haughey | 2 Bronze, Swimming

Siobhan Haughey became the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal after winning silver in the women’s 200-metre freestyle at Tokyo 2020. With another silver in the women’s 100-metre freestyle at the same edition, the 26-year-old went on to become the first Hong Kong athlete to win two Olympic medals in any sport.

Before the Silver Bauhinia Star recipient took part at Paris 2024, a lot was riding on her as she is one of Hong Kong’s most decoratedOlympians and she didn’t disappoint. Haughey won two bronze medals — one in 200-metre freestyle and the other in 100-metre freestyle — to become the only Hong Kong Olympian to have four Olympic Games medals.

100-metre freestyle: Haughey clocked a timing of 52.33 seconds, 0.04 seconds behind USA’s Torri Huske (52.29) who won silver. Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem won gold (52.16).

200-metre freestyle: She clocked a timing of 1:54.55, trailing behind Australian swimmers Ariarne Titmus’ 1:53.81 and Mollie O’Callaghan’s 1:53.27 (new Olympic Record) that helped them win silver and gold, respectively.

Vivian Kong | Gold, Fencing

Fencer Vivian Kong gave the city its first gold at Paris 2024 by defeating France’s Auriane Mallo 13-12 in the women’s epée individual finals. 30-year-old Kong, who is a three-time individual Asian Champion, was trailing 1-7 before drawing level at 10-10. In a nail-biting finish, she edged past her opponent and secured a 13-12 lead to give the three-time Olympian her maiden Olympic Games medal and Hong Kong’s third-ever gold medal. She became the second fencer after Edgar Cheung Ka-long to win a medal for Hong Kong.