Gagan Narang's bronze shines brighter than gold

There are two types of people, one who get inspired and earn success, while others, who earn success and inspire the rest. London Olympic bronze medalist Gagan Narang belongs to the third and rare type as he has done both, got inspired by his idols and is inspiring the generations to come. Most importantly, with his head at the right place.

On Friday, he once again proved why (apart from a long list of achievements) he stands out in a field of Indian sportpersons, as he came calling to DNA office here and exchange ideas with the eager staffers.

Since his medal win in London, it was Gagan’s first visit to any newspaper office, and he chose DNA to host him for a significant rendezvous.

Usually, it is Gagan who does a lot of shooting, but on Friday, he happily preferred to answer a series of questions.

He was honest enough with his replies, and during the interaction, he never thought twice for any question. Not even the personal ones.

For instance, when he was asked about his plans of ending his bachelorhood, he said “doing something for sports is his department, while rest would be taken care by his parents.” He also told us what it takes to win an Olympic medal and more importantly, to produce future winners.

“I had shot equally well in the Beijing Olympics, but I missed out on winning a medal. I was depressed after that. My parents went in shock and my mother developed diabetes because of the stress.”

He said how parents’ can define their children’s career. “My parents sold a piece of land to buy me a rifle at a time when shooting was nothing. May be they saw something in me and supported my decision by giving away their only saving. If other parents do the same, we will have more medalists in the Olympics,” he said.

Gagan also shared his journey so far with us and also emphasised on media’s role in making Olympic medalists. “I think media plays a very important role. Things can improve in leaps and bounds if media focus on the journey of a sportsman, and not just the success,” he emphasised.

Well, on that note, DNA assured the Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee of its support to Indian sports and sportspersons.