Sports fans love to hype up rivalries, whatever the discipline. It does not matter if the two athletes in question are from the same club or country. India, too, is fortunate, it saw one ‘rivalry’ play out at the shooting ranges. Lest one confuses this to be some kind of Wild West fantasy theme, this is about two icons of Indian shooting, Abhinav Bindra, gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Gagan Narang, bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics.
In an era gone by, when few sportswriters bothered to write about shooting as a sport and understand the nuances, Bindra versus Narang was not a rivalry. They were competing against each other, since shooting is an individual sport, at large. Any conversation with either of these shooters, in the years before they went on to become Olympic medallists, the plea was not to hype them as rivals!
This piece is about Narang, having been in the shadows of Bindra for a large part of his shooting career. And the good part was there were no ‘training guns’ at each other. It was one of mutual respect. Today, both are legends and contribute to the sport in different ways.
Watching images of Narang as chef de mission of the Indian contingent in Paris, a whirlpool of memories rush to the mind. Here is a man who grew in his career, layer by layer. When he began shooting at the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad more than 21 years ago, it was no big deal. After all, Bindra had already shot in his first Olympics in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics, where Anjali Bhagwat had also made a noteworthy presence.
It would be churlish to compare Bindra and Narang, in the first place. For Narang, hard work was never a cliché. He believed in slogging and put long hours into training at the ranges. That he was around at competitions where Bindra was also present was good for India.
Not many would know, Gagan, was, indeed, a versatile shooter. Flip through the annals of Indian shooting, it was sheer bad luck Bindra had failed to win a medal in Athens 2004, as the ‘floor’ below him was shaky, disturbing his balance. And for Gagan, Athens was his Olympic debut. He would open up with the media easily but was always modest.
Looking back, to have shot in four Olympics, from 2004 in Athens to 2016 in Rio de Janeiro was big. For fans today who follow Indian shooting, the presence of 21 Indian shooters in Chatreoux raises hopes of medals from Paris 2024. No, it’s not that easy, really.
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Bindra needed a third attempt to grab Olympic glory and Gagan also needed his third attempt to win a bronze medal in 2012 London. Where Gagan was versatile and willing to shoulder load was how he shot three Olympics in different disciplines, air rifle, prone and the 3 position. To have lasted so long, where he was pushing himself so hard, is a lesson for many to emulate.
Indeed, when Gagan won that bronze medal in London, the pressure was released. Looking back, for India to win two medals in shooting from 2012 through Vijay Kumar (now forgotten) and Gagan was amazing. Not to forget, Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth. Gagan Narang was ice-cool, even after winning that Olympic medal. He does not exhibit too many emotions like athletes in other sports. Yet, an Olympic medal is a big deal and London was a happy hunting ground for India, 12 years ago.
One story many have forgotten about Gagan is how before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he had refused to shoot, after being ignored for the Khel Ratna award. The men in power at the OC (Organising Committee) of the Commonwealth Games convinced Gagan to take part. Sure enough, he was a multiple medallist at the CWG 2010, which, sadly, is remembered today only for controversies.
When Gagan was preparing for another assault at the Olympics in 2016 in Rio, he knew, that to peak again would not be easy. Yet, anyone who has talked to him or watched him train will vouch, he is a workaholic. His results in Rio, where, again, he competed in multiple events was not exceptional. But to sign off after four Olympic campaigns was a colossal effort.
Post retirement, Gagan the mentor has done his bit for Indian shooting. He has been a TV commentator, his observations are sharp and the way he has built up the Gun for Glory academies in India are producing results. A case in point is Elavenil Valarivan, who will represent India in the Paris Olympics. She is from the same stable.
For any elite athlete, the journey from being a mere competitor to evolving as someone bigger is a great journey. For Gagan to have been chosen as the chef de mission for the Paris 2024 Olympics is an indicator, that India has the right champions to be there in important roles. Anyone who has been to an Olympics will vouch, that a CDM role is not just ornamental.
There is serious work, and for an athlete at heart to spend time with budding champions is sheer joy. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last year Gagan had already got a feel of what it is to be a deputy chef de mission. The Paris assignment is just a reward for this man who has embraced Hyderabad as his home. Any day, an athlete at the helm as CDM is a welcome change.
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