About " GAGAN NARANG
Hobbies
Table tennis, cricket and photography. (indianshooting.com, issf-sports.org, 08 Feb 2010)
Occupation
Serves in the Army
Education
Computing - Osmania University, Hyderabad, IND
Language(s) spoken
Hindi, English
Club name
Air India
Coach
Sunny Thomas (dnaindia.com, 24 Jul 2011)
Handedness
Right (ISSF, 19 Apr 2004)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He started the sport in 1997 and perfected his skills in the backyard of his home in Begumpet, Hyderabad. (ISSF 19 Apr 2004, Tribune India, 01 Apr 2006)
Reason for taking up this sport
He was encouraged by his father, who bought him an air pistol. (The Hindu, 12 Sep 2002)
Ambitions
He has always wanted to become a pilot and fly a Sukhoi jet. (dnaindia.com, 24 Jul 2011)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning four gold medals in rifle events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. (dnaindia.com, 24 Jul 2011)
Hero
Barack Obama. (rediff.com, 05 Nov 2008)
Most influential person in career
His parents for their support, despite the costs of the sport. "Whatever I have done so far and won is due to the encouragement of my parents," he said. (The Hindu, 12 Sep 2002)
Awards
In 2011 he received a Padma Shri, an award for excellent contribution in various areas including sports. (calcuttanews.net, 25 Jan 2011)
In 2011 he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna [RGKR] award. It is India's highest honour for sporting achievement. (dnaindia.com, 24 Jul 2011)
He was recommended for India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Khel Ratna award, in 2011 after becoming the first Indian shooter to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (timesofindia.com, 26 Jul 2011)
He received an Arjuna Award in 2006, India's second highest national recognition for sportsmen and women. (Rediff, 29 Aug 2006)
General
SHOOTING ACADEMEY
He started his own shooting academy [Gun for Glory] in Pune to help train talented shooters and provide better pathways. "I have seen a lot of struggle in the initial days of my career. My father had to sell his land, where he had planned to build a house. He had to sell it to buy a rifle for me. After I got medals at the international level, people used to ask me about where to send their kids for shooting and I had nothing to suggest. Today, I am in a position to give it back to the society. Through this academy, we will train talented shooters, and support them in the future, so that no other father will have to sell his land to buy rifles." (dnaindia.com, 24 Jul 2011)
INDIAN FIRST
His bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3x40 event at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, was the first individual medal for India in Asian Games rifle shooting. (Rajaraman Reflects, 16 Dec 2006)
SELF TAUGHT
He went a long time without having a coach and largely taught himself the basics of the sport, mainly because there are very few coaches in India. (The Hindu, 12 Sep 2002)
EARLY DAYS
At the age of four, he was at the beach with his parents in Chennai when he pointed excitedly at a balloon seller. It was not the coloured balloons that caught his attention however, but the rifle that was offered to shoot them. He shot a few balloons and his journey as an international marksman had begun. (The Hindu, 12 Sep 2002)
SUPPORT
He is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest, a not-for profit company set up by Indian sporting icons Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to help Indian athletes reach their potential at the Olympic Games. (hindustantimes.com, 05 Oct 2010)
