_Shooting_Rifle_50m_pairs_(cropped).jpg) Narang winning Gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | (1983-05-06)6 May 1983 (age 42) |
| Occupation | Rifle shooting |
Medal record | |
Gagan Narang (born 6 May 1983) is an Indiansport shooter, supported by theOlympic Gold Quest. He won the bronze medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event at the2012 Summer Olympics in London with a final score of 701.1 on 30 July 2012.[2][3][4][5][6] He was also a member of prestigiousPadma award committee 2023.[7]
Gagan was born to Bhimsen Narang and his wife Amarjit, in aPunjabi HinduArora family inChennai on 6 May 1983.[8][9] His father is a retired chief manager of theAir India.[10] Gagan's family hail from the Simla Gujran village ofHaryana'sPanipat district.[11] However, his father's job assignments made them to shift from Panipat toHyderabad, where he was brought up.[12] He did his schooling from theGitanjali Senior School. He attained hisBachelor of Computer Application degree from theHyderabad'sOsmania University.[13][14] He took to shooting when his father presented him an air pistol in 1997. He went about perfecting his shooting skills at the backyard of his home inBegumpet.[14] According to his father, Gagan showed early sparks of his shooting ability when, at the age of two, he shot a balloon with a toy pistol.[10]
Narang won a gold medal in theAfro Asian games, 2003 inHyderabad on 26 October 2003 in Men's 10m air rifle competition.[15] He won the Air Rifle Gold medal at theWorld Cup 2006 and followed it up with win in the event in April 2010.
In a pre-Olympic event inHannover, Germany, Gagan shot an Air Rifle score higher than the world record, 704.3 as opposed to 703.1 set byThomas Farnik ofAustria in the World Cup 2006. Gagan Narang won 4 Gold medals at2006 Commonwealth Games.
Narang qualified for the2008 ISSF World Cup Final after he won a gold in the World Cup in China earlier in 2008. Gagan shot a perfect 600 in the qualification round. He scored 103.5 in the final round making total score of 703.5 to gain the universe record.[16][17] On 4 November 2008, he brokeAustria'sThomas Farnik's record, set in the 2006 World Cup final inGranada, Spain. Gagan said his win was special becauseBarack Obama, who won the United States' Presidential election on same day, was a source of inspiration.[18]
Narang added 4 Gold medals to the Indian tally at the2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. In the Men's 10 m Air Rifle singles event, he shot a perfect 600 which was a new record.[19] Gagan also clinched a silver medal in his pet event at theAsian Games 2010. He also combined withAbhinav Bindra andSanjeev Rajput to win the country another silver, in the team event behind champions, China. He won both of his silvers on the opening day of Asian Games.[20]
Narang won the bronze medal[2] in the 10m air rifle event at the2012 London Olympics with a total score of 701.1 becoming India's first medal winner at the 2012 games. This win made his only the 3rd shooter from India to medal at the Olympics. Gagan was just behind the silver medallist Niccolo Campriani of Italy who scored 701.5, while the gold medallist Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania was at 702.1.[3]However he failed to qualify for the finals of the men's 50-metre rifle three positions at the Royal Artillery Barracks.[21]
Narang won 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal in 50-metre rifle prone and 50-metre rifle 3 position respectively at the2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.[22][23]
| No. | Event | Championship | Year | Place | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10m air rifle | ISSF World Shooting Championships | 2010 | Munich |  |
| 3 | 50m rifle 3 Positions | ISSF World Cup | 2009 | Changwon |  |
| 4 | 10m air rifle | ISSF World Cup | 2009 | Changwon | |
| 5 | 10m air rifle | ISSF World Cup Final | 2008 | Bangkok | |
| 6 | 10m air rifle | ISSF World Cup | 2008 | Beijing | |
| 7 | 10m air rifle | ISSF World Cup | 2006 | Guangzhou | |
| Current world records held in10 m Air Rifle | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Qualification | 600 |  Tevarit Majchacheep (THA) Denis Sokolov (RUS) Gagan Narang (IND) Gagan Narang (IND) Zhu Qinan (CHN) | January 27, 2000 March 1, 2008 May 5, 2008 May 16, 2008 September 22, 2011 | Langkawi(MAS) Winterthur(SUI) Bangkok(THA) New Delhi(IND) Wrocław(POL) | edit | ||
In August 2010, Narang had publicly expressed his displeasure after being ignored for the prestigiousRajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award thrice and he threatened to skip the2010 Commonwealth Games due to lack of motivation.[24] However, intense pressure from his family and fans, he later decided to participate.[25]
In recognition with his achievements, Narang was conferred with the Padma Shree Award in 2011.[26]Gagan Narang was selected for the prestigiousRajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2010. This is the highest sports award in the country.[27] He was conferred the award by then presidentPratibha Patil on 29 August 2011.[28] Also Gagan Narang was invited by the organisers of theIndian Grand Prix to wave the chequered flag in the2012 Indian Grand Prix.[29]
Awards for 2012 Olympics Bronze medal
Gold medalists |
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|---|---|
Silver medalists | |
Bronze medalists | |
