'No Christmas for me': National champ at 31, Gurjoat has just begun | Exclusive

NEW DELHI: “Gurjoat ka matlab hai Guru ki Jyot, the airy of God,” said Gurjoat Siingh Khangura, his dependable inactive carrying the implicit warmth and undeniable pridefulness of a recently crowned nationalist champion.As helium finished explaining his name’s literal meaning, a abbreviated intermission and a quiescent laughter followed. After all, the light, for him, has conscionable begun to glow brighter.

Less than a fortnight ago, the 31-year-old shooter stood atop the podium astatine the 68th National Shooting Shotgun Championship astatine New Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Hanging astir his cervix was a golden medal successful the men’s skeet event.It was his archetypal National title, a long-awaited 1 aft years of competing against immoderate of the country’s finest shotgun shooters.Yet, if 1 expected celebrations oregon clip off, Gurjoat is speedy to disregard the idea. Call him connected Christmas afternoon, and the reply is blunt: “It’s not Christmas. There is nary Christmas for me. I was virtually retired of the shooting scope erstwhile you called me.”For Gurjoat, the scope remains home, adjacent during the festive season.Why the Nationals mattered truthful muchIn Indian shooting, Nationals are much than conscionable different competition. “Nationals are precise important for maine due to the fact that this is the archetypal competition.

Basically, it happens astatine the extremity of the year, and the nationalist people is counted arsenic the basal people for the adjacent year,” helium told TimesofIndia.com from Patiala during an exclusive conversation.“For the squad to beryllium selected, whoever volition correspond India internationally successful World Cups, Asian Games and everything, Nationals are the astir important contention of the year.”

As it goes successful the shooting circuit, winning golden present does not conscionable bring recognition.

It sets the code for enactment trials, planetary opportunities and assurance heading into the caller cycle.That discourse makes Gurjoat’s triumph adjacent much significant. The tract included Olympians, satellite grounds holders and seasoned planetary shooters.“Most of the players I played with are nine-time nationalist champions, two-time Olympians, World Cup medallists,” helium added. “So defeating them and winning the Nationals is fundamentally similar winning immoderate tourney against planetary players.”A twelvemonth of resurrectionIronically, the nationalist rubric came astatine the extremity of a twelvemonth that tested Gurjoat successful each imaginable way. The 2025 play followed the Olympic cycle, and for Gurjoat, it was a twelvemonth of experimentation. “It was a non-Olympic year, truthful it was the champion clip to effort and trial everything,” helium explained.Early successful the year, helium represented India astatine World Cups successful Argentina and Peru, wherever results did not spell according to plan.“I had trained precise well, but things didn’t enactment out. I fell precise sick and had a backmost wounded successful Peru.

I could hardly get up, but I inactive changeable the World Cup,” helium recalled.

Instead of frustration, helium decided to reflect. “I sat and analysed everything that needed to change. It was really a precise affirmative twelvemonth for me.”“I made a batch of method changes this year. I bought a marque caller gun, changed my banal mounting and personalisation. I changeable the Nationals with a marque caller weapon and stock, which was not adjacent a period old.”The golden astatine Nationals, helium feels, confirmed that those changes were worthy the risk.“It ended connected a precise affirmative note. Whatever changes I needed to do, I worked connected them, and present I cognize precisely however I volition spell astir adjacent year,” helium stated.Age is conscionable a numberAt 31, Gurjoat is often asked astir property and pressure. He is speedy to disregard those concerns.“The unit comes lone successful mean life. It doesn’t travel successful shooting,” helium said with a smile. “If you support yourself physically and mentally fit, you really go much mature with time.”He points to veterans similar Zoravar Singh Sandhu, who represented India astatine the Olympics past twelvemonth astatine the property of 47, arsenic examples of longevity successful shotgun shooting.“Age doesn’t substance for shotgunners. That’s not existent for shooting successful general, actually,” helium elaborated.‘My travel has conscionable begun’Despite achieving what galore pursuit for years, Gurjoat refuses to spot the nationalist rubric arsenic a destination.“If I were to summarise my journey, I would accidental it has conscionable begun.

This golden was a large propulsion and information for me,” helium added. “For me, my travel has virtually conscionable begun. I person a batch much to go.“Next year, my purpose is to get the quota, spell for the Asian Games and effort to triumph medals astatine the World Cups I attend.”Indian skeet connected the riseIndian skeet shooting has historically lagged down firearm and pistol events, but Gurjoat believes the tide is turning.“We didn’t person a beardown basal earlier. There were not capable planetary medals to motivate people,” helium explained.“But that humanities attack is changing. Last year, determination were 3 Olympic representations and each were from skeet. That is simply a precise large change.”According to him, assurance wrong the Indian contingent is steadily growing.ALSO READ: World champion astatine 7 successful her archetypal planetary event; 'nervous' portion gathering PM Modi: How Pragnika Lakshmi became a chess prodigyBreaking the outgo mythSkeet shooting is often labelled an costly sport, but Gurjoat, who picked up the weapon astatine the tender property of 9 successful the beingness of his father, Col Manvinder Singh, wants aspiring shooters to cognize that introduction barriers are not arsenic precocious arsenic perceived.“In galore places, particularly successful Delhi, guns are provided connected rent by clubs, backstage ranges and territory associations,” helium explained. “Rent is precise nominal, from Rs 500 to 1,000. Anyone who wants to commencement tin bash truthful by affiliating with a section club.”

He credits authorities initiatives similar Khelo India and the National Centres of Excellence for supporting athletes who execute consistently.“The authorities is doing a fantastic occupation erstwhile you scope a definite level,” helium further stated.Life down the medalThe subject down Gurjoat’s occurrence is relentless. His time starts early, followed by stretching and adust grooming earlier heading to the range.“I sprout astir 250 to 300 cartridges regular connected average. Sometimes it goes up to 500 oregon 600, but I don’t sprout little than 200,” helium added.Training is divided into 2 sessions, adding up to 5 to six hours connected scope days, 4 to 5 times a week.Gym sessions, physiotherapy and aboriginal nights implicit the routine.As the speech coiled down, the taxable of Christmas returned. Gurjoat chuckled. “There is nary Christmas for me.”For the recently crowned nationalist champion, the solemnisation lies successful hitting the people astatine the range. And if his words are thing to spell by, this is lone the beginning.