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Gagan Naranag is only the third Indian shooter to win a medal at the olympics. At Rio Olympics, Narang will be India’s most versatile representative who will participate in three different events – 10 m air rifle, 50 m rifle prone and 50 m rifle 3 positions.
Early Days
Gagan Narang’s initial claim to fame was his gold medal winning performance at the Afro-Asian games in 2003. He then went on to win a gold medal in World Cup 2006.
He continued his brilliant form in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games where he won 4 gold medals – 10 m air rifle (individual), 10 m air rifle (pairs), 50 m air rifle 3 positions (individual) and 50 m air rifle (pairs).
In 2008, Narang qualified for ISSF World Cup Final. He scored a perfect 600 in the qualification round in China. He went on to score 103.5 round in the finals in Bangkok, bringing his total score to 703.5 to make a universal record.
Disappointing Performance at Beijing Olympics
Despite arriving at the Beijing Olympics with a world cup winning gold medal, Narang’s performance was a forgettable one. He stood 35th in the 50 m rifle prone category.
In the 50 m rifle 3 position however, he made a good start securing 394 points of the available 400 in the first round. He was a real contender for the top three as he stood at fourth position at the end of round 1. However, his initial two attempts at the second round were pretty ordinary and everything went south from there as Narang finished 13th in the final standings.
Delhi CWG to London Olympics: Narang’s Era of Glory
The 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi were the turnaround in Narang’s career. He performed brilliantly and added four gold medals to India’s medal tally. In the 10 m air rifle category, he scored a perfect 600 which is a record.
His good run continued in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games where he won a silver in 10 m air rifle. He then teamed up with Abhinav Bindra and Sanjeev Rajput to win another silver for India.
Narang won the bronze medal in the 10 m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics with a total score of 701.1. He became India’s first medal winner at the 2012 games. The shooter was just behind the silver medallist Niccolo Campriani of Italy who scored 701.5, while the gold medallist Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania scored 702.1.
Controversies
In August 2010, Narang publicly expressed his displeasure at being ignored for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. He claimed that he had been denied the award three times and he threatened to skip the 2010 Commonwealth Games citing lack of motivation.
However, after intense pressure from his family and fans, he decided to participate in the games.
Gagan Narang is one of the most experienced members of the Indian contingent. He will represent India in three separate events. The Quint wishes him all the luck for Mission Rio and hopes that he brings back lots of medals.
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