The Hindu : Sport / Shooting : Gagan to try new events

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Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
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Gagan to try new events

A. Joseph Antony

HYDERABAD: Gagan Narang is spreading his wings — into big bore shooting. The double Olympian will take up two more events when he ventures into the 300 metres range, the new pursuit finding him in the footsteps of Rajmond Debevec, Sidi Peter and Thomas Farnik, each of them a medallist in the Olympics, World Championships or the World Cups.

Revealing his plans to The Hindu, the Hyderabad sharp-shooter sees differences only in the distance and recoil, the kick quite sharp on his first foray with the .308 calibre rifle.

The new distance set at 300 metres, he’ll try his hand in the prone and three position (3p), the execution same as over 50 metres.

While other Indian Olympians hanker after top ten or 20 placings, the former world No. 1, now ninth, has enjoyed a long innings in the 10 metre air rifle’s elite 10.

In the 50m 3p, he’s 16th, a high few Indians have reached. If his near-permanent position in the 10m air rifle’s top ten is unshakeable, his climb up the 50m 3p charts is exemplary, considering he began the event just three years ago.

Narrowly missing out

In his hometown to recoup after the Beijing Olympics, where he missed out on the 10m final by a solitary point, Gagan recounted his exit by a whisker.

“Just a dot, the size of a pen’s tip, separated me from the final,” he said, debunking myths he had failed. Only eight of the world’s best shooters make that Olympic showdown.

The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games’ quadruple gold medallist, on his return from Beijing, was shocked by the ignorance, even among sports administrators.

Short public memory had forgotten his 30-plus international medal haul. “One little setback in the Olympics, that comes once in four years, has in one stroke erased all my past achievements,” rued the 2006 Guangzhou World Cup winner.

Tough going

Counting himself very much a part of the system, he found the going financially tough, especially in obtaining professional help, be it in coaching, mental training or equipment.

“One Olympic loss isn’t the end of the world,” he says optimistically, drawing attention to the average age in the Beijing Games, which was 40 in the 50m 3p and around 30 in the 10m air rifle.

Incidentally, the world and Olympic 50 m 3p record-holder is Slovenia’s Debevec, 45.

The 25-year-old Air India Assistant Manager, however, rests assured he has miles to go and promises to keep.

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