Prakash Nanjappa, who won a silver medal in the 10 metres air pistol event at the 20th Commonwealth Games, said he was only halfway to his achieving his goal of winning a gold medal at the Olympics.
Mr. Nanjappa returned home on Wednesday to a hero’s welcome. A group of visually-challenged sportsmen, from Samarthanam Trust for the disabled, which Mr. Nanjappa later announced he would be a brand ambassador for, also felicitated him.
Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Nanjappa said the victory was very special. He said, though it was not his best performance, it boosted his confidence on his return to the sport after a brief absence due to Bell’s palsy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Initially, he could not close his right eye, which is used for shooting. “But I recovered fast,” he said.
He said he also had to change his pistol as his earlier pistol had developed a problem in the trigger system.
“It was a big risk to use a new weapon for such a big event. But it paid off luckily,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
P.N. Papanna, Mr. Nanjappa’s father and coach, said the World Championships and Asian Games were fast approaching and the duo would hit the shooting range soon. Rekha, Mr. Nanjappa’s wife, said she was elated to see him bring laurels to the country.