Indian shooters' Olympic triumph inspired country's new generation: Gagan Narang

The 2024 Paris Olympics will hold a special place for Gagan Narang. After finishing on the podium at the 2012 London Games, Narang returned to the Olympics 12 years later as the Chef de Mission for the Indian contingent in Paris. And ironically, Narang’s bronze medal remained India’s last shooting medal, with the Indian contingent having failed in 2016 and 2020. But in 2024, India finally ended its long Olympic shooting medal drought.

India waited over a decade for Manu Bhaker to win two bronze medals in Paris, while Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh also made it to the podium. Although Arjun Babuta narrowly missed out on a medal, his performance raised hopes of repeat glory at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Paris 2024 Games have been a rollercoaster ride for Narang, with Indian shooters making history and the heartbreak of Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification. In an exclusive interview with News18 Sports, Narang spoke about Bhaker, Kusale and Sarabjot’s success, the near misses, Phogat’s disappointment and much more.

Here are the edited excerpts:

How was your experience as CDM of the Indian contingent in Paris?

It was a very memorable experience for me. It was a different challenge that I enjoyed a lot.

⁠Manu Bhaker ended India’s medal drought in shooting since your medal at the London Games in 2012 and the podium finishes of Sarabjot and Swapnil. You must have felt good. Was it like a monkey on the back after two Games without a medal for the largest Indian contingent at the Games?

It was fantastic to see the shooters shine for India at the Paris Olympics. They ended a long medal drought and I think this performance will only get better. Manu was exceptional winning back-to-back medals which shows how much she has evolved as a shooter since Tokyo. Sarabjot was also impressive and showed great resilience. I have also followed Swapnil closely, we have competed together and I knew he had it in him to excel on a platform like the Olympics. I was also impressed by Arjun Babuta, even though he couldn’t win a medal he performed extremely well. These performances have also inspired a new generation of shooters who are training at different centres across the country.

⁠The NRAI preferred the winners of the preliminary rounds over the winners of the Olympic quotas for selection. Do you think this is one of the main reasons for the improvement in the programme this time? Your opinion?

As I have already mentioned, fair trials were held to select the best in the country.

⁠Specifically, in the rifle event, Swanpil’s medal means that India now has three Olympic medals in pistol and three in rifle. Swapnil didn’t make much noise before the start, but he surprised everyone; on the other hand, Sift Kamra had high hopes. What are your thoughts on their performance and the landscape of rifle shooting in India?

Yes, a lot was expected of Sift and unfortunately she didn’t have the best performance possible. A lot of factors come into play at events like the Olympics and a lot of it depends on how you can handle the pressure at that level. She is one of the best we have in the country and she can bounce back from this outing. I think the shooting prospects are on the rise. We have better facilities today and good scouting programmes. The Khelo India and TOPS events have also contributed to that rise. Our training programmes at the grassroots level have also evolved.

Overall, India failed to match the Tokyo tally but did secure six fourth-place finishes. How do you see this – disappointments or signs that Indian athletes are getting closer and closer?

I see this as a sign that our athletes are getting closer to the podium. At the Olympics, the gaps between the top eight are very small and I am pleased that we have improved our performance. Now we need to work on increasing the number of participants at the Olympics.

⁠The Vinesh Phogat saga will probably be remembered as the most unfortunate incident in Indian Olympic history. What was your first reaction when you heard about Vinesh’s disqualification?

It was a heartbreaking incident at the time, and my first concern was to find out if she was okay. My first reaction was to check on her physical and mental well-being.

⁠Regarding Vinesh’s disqualification, apart from the disappointment, to what extent do you think this is a lesson for those who will be aiming for a place in the LA28?

Every sport is unique and has its own challenges… in shooting, the weight of the rifle cannot exceed 5.5 kg, not a gram more. And every sport has its own technical rules and challenges that we athletes are used to mitigating. It was very unfortunate and I hope it never happens again.

⁠Tell us about “Gun for Glory”. What was the idea behind its creation?

Gun for Glory is a premier shooting academy and our aim has always been to promote the sport of shooting by nurturing young talent at the right time to produce future stars in the shooting world. We offer a comprehensive range of training programmes and facilities designed to help shooters of all levels develop their skills and achieve their goals.

We believe that athlete development is a holistic process that includes many factors such as highly qualified coaches, supportive organisations and experienced sports science experts. Keeping this in mind, Gun for Glory is proud to have its own sports science unit comprising highly qualified sports physiotherapists, sports psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches and sports nutritionists.

We also have state-of-the-art sports science equipment. The entire sports science unit focuses on the overall well-being of athletes and the improvement of their performance, as well as injury prevention.