Mom disappointed my medal not Gold: Gagan Narang
The Olympic bronze he scooped from shooting, the first for India in the London Games, was celebrated across the nation. However, Gagan Narang's mother was disappointed that he did not win a gold medal, said the shooter on his return to the country.
The Olympic bronze he scooped from shooting, the first for India in the London Games, was celebrated across the nation. However, Gagan Narang's mother was disappointed that he did not win a gold medal, said the shooter on his return to the country.
"She wanted me to win the gold medal. I hope to fulfil her wish in the future," said the star rifle shooter at a felicitation ceremony in Pune after arriving from London to a rousing reception.
Narang was felicitated at the 'Gun for Glory' academy by Maharashtra Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Padmakar Valvi. Woman shooter Rahi Sarnobat, who was a part of the London Games shooting squad, was also honoured.
Narang, who won a bronze in the men's 10m air rifle, wants diminutive woman boxer MC Mary Kom to do what he missed out in the Games, a gold medal.
"I met her in London and she sounded very confident. I hope that she brings the yellow medal for all of us," he said ahead of Mary's semi-final bout on Wednesday against Nicola Adams of Great Britain.
Narang, a seasoned shooter and a multiple gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games and the star of the 2010 Delhi extravaganza, said he felt a bit anxious during his event in London and used his coach Stanislas Lapidus's iPad to settle his jangled nerves.
"I felt a tad bit nervous. Hence, I started half an hour late. My coach made me play a 'secret' game on his iPad. I stepped back from my mark, relaxed, and checked everything before shooting again.
"I was really pleased at having qualified for the finals. A huge weight is off my shoulders. In the finals, I was lucky enough to hold my nerves and shoot 10.7 in the last shot when I needed 10.2 to win the bronze medal," said the shooter whose home is in Hyderabad.