KIUG: LPU’s Sartaj Tiwana puts behind mental exhaustion, father’s health to retain 50m Rifle 3P gold
Jaipur, Dec 5 (LatestNewsX) – Sartaj Tiwana arrived in Jaipur with a clear goal: to lift the mental weariness that had lingered for over a year because of his father’s illness and to defend the gold he earned at the Khelo India University Games.
A final‑year master’s student in Public Administration at Lovely Professional University, Sartaj knew the Rajasthan 2025 Games were likely his last chance to find his winning rhythm before tackling the Senior National Shooting Championships. At 23, he delivered exactly that, taking Home Men’s 50m Rifle 3‑position gold while also helping his university secure the team title at Jagatpura Shooting Range.
When asked by SAI Media, he reflected, “Today’s result was something I manifested from the past because I was undergoing a lot of changes. It was quite encouraging to have a milestone like this ahead of the national championships. And this was my fourth time participating in the university games, and I have always been on the podium, so I didn’t want to break my streak.”
Sartaj’s shooting journey began in his boarding school, and since then he has consistently punched above his weight on both the national and international stages: a silver at the 2023 Asian Championships, a fourth‑place finish at the 2023 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2023 World University Games.
Unfortunately, his ambition to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, Olympian Arjun Singh Cheema, hit a snag last July. His father, Kultej, was placed on a ventilator due to pneumonitis and later developed a rare lung‑related chickenpox condition, forcing Sartaj to step back from the National Centre of Excellence at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range and return to Mohali for his parents’ care.
The sight of his father’s severe decline drained Sartaj mentally, disrupting his training and focus. Even when he tried to practice, his thoughts kept racing to his dad’s health, leaving him mentally exhausted and unable to shoot with the usual concentration.
Despite these hardships, Sartaj leaned on the Khelo India scholarship to keep training, even though the family’s finances were heavily strained by medical bills. He missed several competitions but remained determined to re‑emerge strongly at the KIUG 2025.
Now that his father is on the mend, Sartaj is working to clear his mind, prioritizing his mental and physical health as the countdown for India’s 2026 Asian Games team selection ramps up with the Senior Nationals later this month.
The Khelo India University Games 2025 proved a tough test of his readiness, and he emerged triumphant. “I am the kind of guy who keeps on grinding regardless of the result… Everybody goes through different phases and I have been through one such phase. But now it’s all sorted out and I hope to do well in the future,” he added.
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