Gagan Narang Birthday: Journey from dream of becoming a pilot to shooting, father sold his house to get a rifle

Olympic Medalist Gagan Narang: Today is the birthday of the country’s star shooter and Olympic medalist Gagan Narang. Narang has proved his talent in the country and abroad. Gagan Narang is the first Indian shooter to qualify for the London Olympics. In the 2012 London Olympics, Narang won the bronze medal in the 10 meter air rifle competition in the men’s category with 701.1 points. The childhood of this player is very interesting. Gagan achieved success at a very young age.

Won gold medal at the age of 20

Gagan won the gold medal in the shooting competition at the Afro Asian Games in 2003. At that time he was 20 years old. Gagan performed brilliantly and won 4 gold medals in different competitions of the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne in 2006. After this, Gagan also won the gold medal in the World Cup held in China in 2008.

Narang wanted to become a pilot

Born on May 6, 1983, this player wanted to become a pilot in the Air Force since childhood. Gagan’s father Bhimsen Narang says, Narang had shown talent for shooting in his childhood itself. According to him, 2 year old Gagan had aimed at the balloon with a pistol. After that he realized that his son could go far in shooting.

Won 4 medals in Commonwealth

In the year 2010, Gagan performed brilliantly in the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi and won 4 gold medals. This included 10 meter and 50 meter air rifle categories. He became the first Indian to do so. In 2010 itself, he performed brilliantly in the Asian Games and won a silver medal.

Apart from this, Gagan had won the gold medal in the final of the ISSF World Cup to be held in Bangkok. After this achievement, Gagan’s ranking increased and he became one of the top shooters in international shooting. Gagan Narang became the third Indian shooter to achieve this success in international games.

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Lived in a rented house for 15 years

Gagan’s childhood was spent in a lot of struggles. His father was the Chief Manager in Air India. Gagan had to sell his house to get a rifle for shooting practice. After this he lived in a rented house with his family for 15 years. Gagan’s shooting journey began in 1997 when his father gave him permission to use an air pistol. Gagan kept practicing this continuously.

Giving credit for his success to his family, Gagan says that it is with their help that he is at this position today. In view of his excellent performance in sports, Gagan Narang has been honored by the Government of India with awards like Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri Award, Arjuna Award and National Sports Promotion Award.