Gagan Narang Transition to an Olympic Medalist
India’s performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London was what one would call ‘mediocre’. We took home six medals of which, four were bronze and two were silver. Compared to the total tally of China and the United States, ours would most probably amount to nothing, but then again six medals are definitely better than zero medals any given day.
The very first medal India received at the Olympic Games came from Gagan Narang, a shooter who won the bronze medal, also known as the third prize, in the men's 10 m air rifle event. The other shooter that India sent along with Narang, Abhinav Bindra, failed to qualify for the semifinals. He had secured the bronze by a hair’s breadth, with a final score of 701.1. Though his performance at the Olympic Games was below his personal best, he did win the country its third shooting medal in Olympic history. When asked about his sentiments regarding the win, he admitted that though he was slightly disappointed at the outcome, he is enthralled at being known as an Olympic medalist here on out. Stands to reason, since being an Olympic medalist comes with its own perks, especially with in the country. Besides the two crores and twenty lakhs he received as cash prize, he was also awarded two kilograms of gold by Sahara India Pariwar.
Ever since his first brush with the rifle at the age of six, he has honed his skills to claim a number of plaudits and awards. Even though an Olympic gold is missing, Gagan Narang profile is replete with gold medals won in other tournaments. He is a gold medalist in the 2003 Afro Asian Games and the 2006 World Cup. During the 2006 Common Wealth Games held in Melbourne Australia, he won four gold medals. He repeated the same performance at the 2010 Common Wealth Games held in Delhi where he not only collected four gold medals but also set up a new record of a perfect 600 in the Men's 10 m air rifle singles event.
He has won gold in between, at the 2008 World Cup in China. During the 2010 Asian Games, he got the country two silver medals, on the opening day of the Games itself. In 2010, he was conferred with the Padma Shri title for his outstanding achievements in the sports field. In short, It pays to be an Olympic winner, even if it is bronze medal one.
