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When he was just 2 years old he shot a balloon with a toy gun. That was a sign of greater things to follow and yes they did! From toy guns to real rifles, the transition was quite extraordinary.
One of the best rifle shooters in the world, Gagan Narang has had a long and exciting career. His golden run at the start of his career, the newfound focus on training new shooters, and the strong will to continue shooting is commendable.
Today we explore all these and many more of such aspects in Gagan Narang’s biography.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Gagan Narang |
| Age | 37 years |
| Sport Category | Rifle Shooting |
| Date of Birth | 6 May 1983 |
| Hometown | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Height | 1.8 m |
| Parent | Bhimsen Narang and Amarjit |
Gagan with his parents. Image Source: Rediff
Born to Punjabi parents, Bhimsen and Amarjit Narang, Gagan grew up in Chennai. His father is a retired Chief Manager of Air India. Though originally from Panipat in Haryana, the family shifted when his father was transferred to Chennai.
It was his father who introduced Gagan to an air pistol in 1997. Right from his childhood, he had an inclination of Gagan’s talent. He built a shooting arena in their home for Gagan to practice.
In 2003, Narang won the gold medal at the Afro Asian Games in Hyderabad. He won the award in men’s 10m air rifle competition. This golden spree continued with air rifle gold medal at the 2006 World Cup.
The 2006 Commonwealth was very special for Narang with a staggering tally of four gold medals. He also won the top honours at the 2008 World cup in China. Subsequently, he qualified for the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final.
The next edition of the Commonwealth Games, the 2010 New Delhi Games, were again truly golden for Narang. Again, he won four gold medals. He also shot a perfect score of 600 in the 10 m air rifles singles event and set a new record.
On the opening day of the Asian Games, Narang won a silver medal.
At the London Olympics, Narang scripted his name in history, as well as the hearts of all Indians, by winning the bronze medal in the 10 m air rifle event with a score of 701.1.
“This is the only medal I didn’t have in my cabinet, so now I can pin it on there,” he told The Hindu Business Line in an interview after his victory.
“The one per cent [important thing] is photography. Whenever I get little time, I just go out in the jungle. Everybody knows that they can either find me at the range, or they can never find me at all because I’m always in the jungle and out of network otherwise.”
Some of the amazing clicks shared by Narang on Twitter-
After an extremely successful career, Narang wants to take the role of a mentor now. With this aim in life, he has started the academy Guns for Glory in Pune, Maharashtra. Now there are 16 training centres across the country under the brand.
“Not just shooting, across all sports, there are so many young athletes. I am happy to play a small part in their success. I am looking forward to some great performances from the young guns,” he told the Hindu.
He has also partnered on a project- Project Leap, to offer top-class training facilities and infrastructure to the top talent from Guns for Glory.
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | London, UK | 10 m air rifle | Bronze |
| Championship | Event | Place | Year | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISSF World Shooting Championships | 10 m air rifle | Munich, Germany | 2010 | Bronze |
| ISSF World Cup | 50 m rifle 3 positions | Changwon, China | 2009 | Gold |
| ISSF World Cup | 10 m air rifle | Changwon, China | 2009 | Bronze |
| ISSF World Cup Final | 10 m air rifle | Bangkok, Thailand | 2008 | Gold |
| ISSF World Cup | 10 m air rifle | Beijing, China | 2008 | Bronze |
| ISSF World Cup | 10 m air rifle | Guangzhou, China | 2006 | Gold |
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Munich, Germany | 10 m air rifle | Bronze |
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Melbourne, Australia | 10 m air rifle | Gold |
| 2005 | Melbourne, Australia | 10 m air rifle pairs | Gold |
| 2005 | Melbourne, Australia | 10 m air rifle badge | Silver |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 10 m air rifle | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 10 m air rifle pairs | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 10 m air rifle badge | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle 3 positions pairs | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle prone pairs | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle prone badge | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle 3 positions | Silver |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle prone | Silver |
| 2017 | Brisbane, Australia | 50 m rifle prone | Silver |
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Doha, Qatar | 10 m air rifle team | Bronze |
| 2006 | Doha, Qatar | 50 m rifle 3 positions individual | Bronze |
| 2006 | Doha, Qatar | 50 m rifle 3 positions team | Bronze |
| 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 10 m air rifle individual | Silver |
| 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 10 m air rifle team | Silver |
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Melbourne, Australia | 10 m air rifle individual | Gold |
| 2006 | Melbourne, Australia | 10 m air rifle pairs | Gold |
| 2006 | Melbourne, Australia | 50 m rifle 3 positions individual | Gold |
| 2006 | Melbourne, Australia | 50 m rifle 3 positions pairs | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 10 m air rifle individual | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 10 m air rifle pairs | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle 3 positions individual | Gold |
| 2010 | Delhi, India | 50 m rifle 3 positions pairs | Gold |
| 2014 | Glasgow, Scotland | 50 m rifle prone | Silver |
| 2014 | Glasgow, Scotland | 50 m rifle 3 positions | Bronze |
After his historic Olympic bronze medal, Narang won numerous cash prizes and other goodies. Some of them are US$140,000 by Haryana state government, US$70,000 by Andhra Pradesh government, US$70,000 by Rajasthan, US$28,000 by Steel ministry of India, and 2 kg of gold by Sahara India Pariwar.
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