Rahi Sarnobat, 34, earned the gold medal in the Women’s 25m air pistol discipline at the National Games this year in Dehradun, marking a remarkable recovery from a difficult health fight.

The Gagan Narang Sports Foundation’s House of Glory podcast recently included an interview with the two-time Olympian, who has returned to the sport, discussing her recent struggle with neuropathic pain syndrome. She clarified that in order to pursue her goal of winning an Olympic medal, she is now concentrating on her own sport.

When the Maharashtra shooter was about to go for the national camp for the World Championships in 2022, Rahi’s health problems started. She was experiencing nerve discomfort and hot flashes.

Rahi was unable to acquire a diagnosis and ended up on bed rest after experiencing excruciating agony for weeks due to feelings all throughout her body.

“We performed regular exams, cardiac testing, and ECGs, but we were unsure of which physicians to see. Everything was OK. I was feeling awful, however. For months, I had to sit and sleep because of neck discomfort that prevented me from lying in bed. “My medical team recommended that I see a neurologist,” Rahi said.

Rahi was diagnosed with neuropathic pain after weeks of neurological testing. The gunman described her symptoms in more detail, saying, “There is no set pattern or therapy for neuropathic pain syndrome. Depending on each individual’s medical history, it varies from case to case. That adds to the fright.

“For months, I was only getting 17–20 hours of sleep. For months, all I could do was stare at the ceiling. I was unable to lead a normal life. I experienced the anxiety of uncertainty. She went on to say, “You don’t know when the incident just happened for certain months.”

Rahi had to return to the sport on many occasions throughout her career. It took her seven months to recuperate from a strange hairline fracture in her shooting arm’s elbow earlier in 2014, and it took her several more months to start shooting.

From then, she recovered, winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games and competing in Tokyo in 2021 for her second Olympics. This time, she made a strong comeback and defeated Simranpreet Kaur, another shooter, in a tight match to earn the top award in the National Games.

However, Rahi clarified, “I feel comebacks are quite a personal journey,” after overcoming both setbacks. Things were different during the Rio Olympics cycle. It was a frequent injury that required a definite standard course of care. You’re organized. There is a set process that has been tried and tested on athletes for many years.

“The condition was different this time. I wasn’t even hoping for a resurgence. All I wanted was to be alive again. All I wanted was to live a regular, healthy life,” she said.

It wasn’t an easy road back to fitness either. “Despite the agony, the physician advised me to begin physiotherapy after a few months. My first workout consisted of watching a TV program for twenty minutes while seated. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even do it. I spent many hours a day working with the physiotherapist.

However, Rahi has learned a lot from the fight for her health. She thinks she has a distinct focus today and is a different athlete. The shooter is now vying for both her classmates and herself.

“I’ve changed as an athlete. I doubt I could have experienced such a profoundly devastating emotional period as I did throughout this suffering. It was the most difficult and gloomy stage. I didn’t even have shooting on my list of priorities. “I am now living what I prayed for,” she stated.

“I want to concentrate on myself and my crew, who have supported me, now that I’m shooting again. I am aware that I possess a wide range of untapped skills, talents, and qualities. There’s a reason this dream has been ingrained in me.

It is worthwhile to give myself another opportunity. Proving something to the world is not the goal here. Since there is nothing to lose, I am more brave. She said, “I want to be known as someone who made things happen.”