Gagan Narang strikes gold

The kneeling position has always been Gagan Narang’s Achilles heal. The 50-metre rifle three-position event demands that a shooter takes 40 shots each, first in prone position, then standing and finally kneeling. After two and a half hours of competition, Narang entered what is the most challenging part for him in this event – 60 minutes of kneeling. In the final Narang fired the last shot with just five seconds to go after he managed to keep his pulse rate in check and focus on the task at hand.

At Chongwon, Han Jinseop of Korea and Narang were involved in a tussle for gold. In his last shot Jinseop shot 7.3. Narang saw the score flash on the monitor. The Indian shot 10. It was good enough for Narang to aggregate 1,264 points and win the gold. By doing so Narang became the first Indian to win gold in the 50 metre three position event in an ISSF event and also the first from the country to win two medals in a single ISSF World Cup.

“It’s great to win medals in two different events,” Narang, who won the bronze in the 10 metre air rifle in Chongwon last week, said. Narang is undertaking the physically challenging and mentally draining task of participating in the 10 metre air rifle, the 50 metre prone and the 50 metre three position event. “The 50 metre three position is a very challenging event. I shot my personal best score in the kneeling position and I am really happy. The kneeling position has been the toughest challenge for me in the past. I am really happy that I entered the final of all three events in Chongwon,” Narang told DNA.

Narang will now head to Beijing to participate in the next round of the ISSF World Cup series. Beijing doesn’t hold happy memories for Narang. He missed out on the final of the 10 metre air rifle in a count back at the Beijing Olympics. “It was a very difficult period for me after I failed to win a medal at the Olympics. I strongly believed that India could have won two medals in shooting but it was not to be. I had to get rid of the cobwebs in my mind and start looking ahead to events,” he added.

Narang wants to make each outing count now. “I have adopted a simple approach to the sport. I am trying not to complicate anything. My aim is to win a medal in every event that I participate in.”