E-Paper
Elite training at the grassroots level key to churning out winners says Gagan Narang, founder of Gun for Glory
Since I am pursuing my sports, my role is more of a facilitator and mentor. Whenever I get time given my schedule I am working with my team to make the system more robust and promote the sport further.
Gun for Glory is emerging as a major talent enabler in the sports shooting world, reaping vast dividends for India. Gagan Narang, the founder, has been representing India for two decades in the sport of shooting. Here he shares how GFG in Pune and across the nation has the next generation of shooting enthusiasts ready to trigger victory and glory.
What is the story behind founding the academy and what is your ultimate dream which you keep reminding your fellow shooters about?
The objective of founding the academy was to provide an organised pathway to aspiring shooters to reach the elite level and not face the kind of challenges I faced in my development phase. Additionally, the academy has been started under the aegis of the Gagan Narang sports promotion foundation, which is a not-for-profit firm, with the idea being that money generated through various resources can be used to support budding athletes of the country. In our seventh year of operations I can say that the pathway is ready, as we have six shooters who have come up the ranks and are now performing at the highest level for India. These include Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agrawal, Mahima Agrawal and Rubina Francis (para pistol shooter), among others.
How does GFG reach out to the school children as shooting is not a sport easily accessible?
We reach out to schools and colleges and conduct introductory sessions explaining to them about the sport and highlighting how India is performing so well at the highest level. Subsequently we conduct selection trials by setting up temporary ranges. Post that selected students are invited to the academy. The same process is carried out across all our centres pan India.
How often do you visit the different facilities?
Since I am pursuing my sports, my role is more of a facilitator and mentor. Whenever I get time given my schedule I am working with my team to make the system more robust and promote the sport further. Also since I am still pursuing the sport, now over two decades, I am generally aware of the best practices and latest technical knowhow in the sport which are passed on to coaches and students immediately.
