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Gagan Narang, often derided for not being in perfect shape, chose to stay quiet and let his rifle do the talking for him throughout his life.
Born on 6th May 1983
Bhimsen Narang and his wife Amarjit, Punjabis by birth, gave birth to Gagan down South in Chennai. Although his parents spent most of their life in Panipat, the demands of his father's job were such that they were frequently on the move prior to his birth.
Narang spent his younger days in Gitanjali Senior School after which he was able to secure admission in the prestigious Osmania University as a student of Computer Science. For some time it had seemed like he would spend his life working long shifts behind a computer screen but all of that changed when his father gifted him an air rifle in 1997.
Bhimsen had seen sparks of brilliance in young Gagan when he shot a balloon with a toy pistol. While it seems like he was clutching on straws, but his son actually took a liking to the sport. Gagan spent a significant time perfecting his aim in the shooting range at Hyderabad Central University and began to participate in junior tournaments.
He got his first big break at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad and struggled to contain his excitement at the prospect of his first International tournament. All his excitement fizzled out and turned into sorrow when he came to know that his grandfather has passed away two days before the games began.
Gagan was in a quandary as to whether or not he should put off the games and pay his respects to his grandfather one last time. He had been extremely close to Gagan and his biggest supporter. He decided that participating in the tournament was what he would've wanted and gone to and fro Delhi within the span of the day.
Overcoming all odds, Gagan was brilliant and was rewarded with a Gold. Overwhelmed with emotions, he dedicated his medal to his grandfather. He performed consistently at the highest level but the pinnacle of the sport, a spot in the Olympics roster eluded him till the London games in 2012. Athens was a point away and Beijing even close- a margin of 0.1 stood like a wall between him and the Olympics.
Gagan put his head down and continued to work hard for the quadrennial event. Lady luck didn't desert him this time and not only did he qualify for the games, but he also won a Bronze- one of the very few medals that India won that year.
The accolades kept rolling in. Just two years later, Narang won a silver and a bronze medal at the Commonwealth games.
Now in the twilight of his career, he's focusing his energies on training the next generation of sharpshooters to keep the Indian flag waving high at the Olympic games. Narang's story is one of unwavering determination in the face of setbacks and heartbreaks and certainly, young people who aspire to achieve new heights can take a page out of his book.
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