THE SPORT : RIFLE SHOOTING

Rifle Shooting is just what you can make of the word : shooting with rifles. Rifles are long air guns that provides greater accuracy and speed than pistols. It has less to do with your physical strength than your mental prowess. Rifle shooting events are categorized based on the distance between shooter and the target. Common ones are 10m, 50m and 300m. Olympics has 10m and 50m events, and Narang is qualified for both.

 THE HERO’S JOURNEY

 

Gagan’s tryst with shooting dates back to his childhood. As a 2-year old, he was exceptional in shooting with his toy gun. Head to 1997, and a 14-year old Narang is practicing in the backyards of his mansion with a newly acquired air pistol. Ably backed by his family, specially his father, Narang has achieved a lot since then.

 

The number of medals won in the mega events itself explains why he is one of our star players for the Rio games. He is someone who has broken the world record of scores twice. He has been selected as the Olympic contender twice before, and Rio is his third consecutive entry. For a man who has performed consistently in the ISSF World Cups, this isn’t a surprise. His glory is ably recognized, as Narang has been honored with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Padma Shree, two of the highest awards of our country.

 THE INSPIRATION

 

What I found interesting after studying about his life, is his brave choice of career. Shooting requires tremendous mental energy, which is normally reflected in academics. He has done his Bachelor of Computer Application degree with a staggering score. Where most of the people like him would have chosen a comfortable path of big office job, Narang went into the field and tried to achieve something bigger. It is his this decision, and a complete support from his parents, that has given us one of our most valuable players.

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Perhaps this is the main reason why we don’t find a Gagan Narang everyday.They are out somewhere, achieving their goals by compromising on passion.