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World Cup good for Indian shooters after long lay-off: Gagan Narang
The reviews have been good, and Narang is happy he is able to describe the nuances of a very complex sport.
Gagan Narang is close to the firing lane, but is still at a distance from where he doesn’t feel the rush and pressure the shooter does. Narang has a new role in the ISSF World Cup at the Karni Singh range here. Part of the commentary team, the London Olympics bronze medallist’s challenge is to break the sport down for viewers and explain what the competitors go through during those tense moments.
The reviews have been good, and Narang is happy he is able to describe the nuances of a very complex sport. “It’s a different feeling altogether, but I am enjoying it. A lot of people told me I am able to explain the sport to people. It’s a technical sport and to simplify it for a layman is difficult,” he says.
Though shooting is one of India’s top Olympic sports in terms of performances at international level, people don’t know much about it. “There are so many events in shooting. Only when we win medals at the Olympics do people get to read about it. When you play badminton or cricket, you know how easy or difficult it can be to perform internationally. But you don’t shoot in normal life so it is difficult to understand what the shooter is going through.
“It all looks very easy on television, but internally there is a storm going within you and to be able to explain that in words is a challenge,” said the 37-year-old. Narang’s Gun For Glory academy, founded in 2011, has been guiding some of the top shooters of the country. He is mentoring world No. 1 in women’s rifle, Elavenil Valarivan, who won the mixed team air rifle gold with Divyansh Panwar. He is also proud that 20-year-old Aiswharya Pratap Tomar beat a world class field to win gold in the 50m rifle three-positions.
“The final was my forte. I wanted to get into a few finals, I was telling Charu Sharma (co-commentator). I felt quite enthusiastic about the three-positions event; even to see Ela and Divyansh win in the mixed team was special. Ela is very dedicated, hard-working and focused. I have shot with most of them. I have been their teammate and know what is going on there in their head. I know how they feel. Most of these athletes are young and don’t have much to lose. They don’t look back. That’s the beauty of these youngsters.”
He feels the World Cup is a good competition for shooters leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. Though some of the top shooting nations like China and Germany did not participate, Narang said the field was not easy. “Still, you have a lot of world No. 1s and top 15 shooters and quite a few of them made it to the finals. Some scores have been world class. Everyone is eager to test themselves after the forced break due to the pandemic. For Indian shooters, it was especially good to be in the final and get used to the pressure.
“Handling finals is like a sharp-edged knife, you have to keep it sharp. The more competition you take part in and get into the final, the better. It helps you handle pressure. It was a good competition in the lead up to the Olympics, and all the better for Indians.”
As for plans to his returning to competition, Narang, who struggled with a major shoulder problem, is in no hurry. “We will see after Tokyo. I was in the team till 2019 but my health deteriorated and I had to take charge. I am very much into the sport; I go to the range, do some training but getting into a competitive environment is still some time away.”
Gold-silver for India
There were only two Indian teams in fray in the 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team event. Tejaswini Sawant and Vijayveer Sidhu beat Ashok Abhindya Patil and Gurpreet Singh to win gold. The international shooting federation (ISSF) is organising the team events as a trial for the next Olympic cycle.
“We told ISSF that there are not many teams in some events. But ISSF wants the format and other things to be tested in a World Cup and conduct it by following all the protocols like a medal event,” said an organising committee member.
