It was business as usual for World No. 2 Gagan Narang as he won the bronze medal in the 10-metre air rifle event at the ongoing World Championships in Munich on Saturday and became the first Indian to seal a place in the 2012 Olympics in London.
The ace marksman shot 597 during qualifying and notched up 102 in the final round to bag a grand total of 699 for bronze. Gagan though, has his feet firmly on the ground. “Any medal for the country gives me pleasure and winning one at the World Championships is obviously very satisfying,” he said later. Niccolo Campriani of Italy won the gold while Peter Sidi of Hungary clinched the silver.
“My son has been a consistent performer and he proved it yet again by winning the bronze on Saturday. It’s a testament to his patience and never-say-die spirit. I spoke to him before the event and he had promised to put up a good show, and he has,” said Gagan’s father, B.S. Narang, on Saturday.
Speaking on Gagan becoming the first to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, Mr Narang said, “It is obviously great news for us and we couldn’t be happier.”
National Rifle Association of India secretary Rajiv Bhatia was delighted. “He has always been our best hope and I hope he continues with his medal-winning performances in the coming events too,” he said.
Campriani shot a total of 702.5 (599 qualifying + 103.5 final) while Sidi bagged the silver with 700.4 points (599 qualifying + 101.4 final). Abhinav Bindra, 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist, finished 25th in the event. He did not make it to the final round.