Topper In 2018, Struggling Now: The Curious Case Of Saurabh Chaudhary

Saurabh Chaudhary's precipitous decline, after winging his way to the top of pistol shooting with unflappable temperament and incredible talent, appeared perplexing until one ran into the outspoken Jaspal Rana. Rana, as is his wont, minced no words while panning the national shooting federation and some coaches for their "utter lack of willingness" to reach out to the reigning Asian Games champion in his hour of need. The Dronacharya awardee believed the absence of help, in its own way, played a part in Chaudhary fading into oblivion after reaching dizzying heights.

Chaudhary was the toast of the Indian shooting team after he shattered the world record on way to a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

However, five years later, he is one of the biggest names missing from the country's contingent, for the upcoming edition of the quadrennial extravaganza in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Rana, who was serving as the junior national team coach when Chaudhary was making rapid strides by winning medals at almost all levels, is sad at the way the 21-year-old shooter from UP's Baghpat has been handled in his difficult phase.

"When he was winning medals everywhere, everyone was trying to get close to him and take credit for his success. It seemed like he had many coaches at that point in time, but my question is, where are those coaches now.

"Where were they all these times. I can't see any of them now. I don't really know what he is doing right now," Rana told PTI during an interaction.

The legendary pistol shooter saw Chaudhary's rise from close quarters, and was also the coach of the Indian junior team when he won a historic gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

That was the time when