Shooter Narang becomes first Indian to qualify for London Olympics
July 31st, 2010 - 7:56 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) A day after he was overlooked for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze in the 10 metre air rifle event at the World Championship in Munich and became the first Indian to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
World No.2 Narang shot 597 in the qualifying and 102 in the final round for a total of 699 to win the bronze. Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra finished a disappointing 25th and failed to qualify for the final round.
The gold went to Italian Niccolo Campriani, who shot a total of 702.5 (599 qualifying + 103.5 final) while Hungarian Peter Sidi bagged the silver with 700.4 points (599 qualifying + 101.4 final).
National coach Sunny Thomas feels that the bronze was a fitting reply to the awards selection committee, headed by P.T. Usha.
“Even before the start Narang told me that he was sad after being left out. I told him just to go and bag a medal and show the whole world that he deserves the Khel Ratna,” Thomas told IANS from Munich.
Narang, who is now seen as India’s best bet in the Commonwealth Games, shot the bronze in his pet 10m air rifle event at the Beijing World Cup and qualified for the World Championships.
- Narang bags bronze; first Indian to qualify for London Olympics (Lead) - Jul 31, 2010
- Shooter Gagan Narang threatens to skip Commonwealth Games - Aug 06, 2010
- Khel Ratna has brought added pressure: Narang - Jul 26, 2011
- Ace rifle shooter Gagan Narang may not participate in CWG - Aug 06, 2010
- Asian Games shooting: Narang helps India win two silver - Nov 13, 2010
- Gagan Narang shoots to world record, wins world cup - Nov 05, 2008
- Asian Championship: Bindra wins gold beating close rival Zhu - Jan 13, 2012
- Gagan Narang: A world champ in the making - Oct 09, 2010
- Asian shooting: India win silver and two bronze in team events - Jan 14, 2012
- I can prove myself again: Rathore - Feb 01, 2012
- Gagan wins silver in Kuwait Shooting Grand Prix - Mar 25, 2012
- Junior world champion Noria replaces Rathore in CWG shooting squad - Sep 01, 2010
- Rifle shooter Narang bags bronze in Beijing World Cup (With image) - Apr 19, 2010
- Manavjit Sandhu, Imran Hassan qualify for London Olympics - Jan 22, 2012
- Annu Raj shoots silver at World Cup, books Olympics berth - May 17, 2011
Tags: 2012 london olympics, air rifle, beijing, best bet, commonwealth games, gagan, khel ratna, munich, narang, national coach, New Delhi, olympic champion, olympics world, p t usha, rajiv gandhi, selection committee, shooter, sidi, world championships, world cup