Gagan Narang (Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

:ਗਗਨ ਨਾਰੰਗ Hindi

Hindi

Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: गगन नारंग ) is an ace India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n shooter

Shooting

Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...

, especially in Air rifle shooting, supported by the Olympic Gold Quest

Olympic Gold Quest

Olympic Gold Quest is a program of the Foundation Of Sports And Games , started by Indian sporting icons Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to identify and support Indian athletes with a proven track record and who have the potential to win Olympic gold medals...

. He is the first Indian to qualify for the London Olympics.

Career

Gagan Narang added 4 gold medals to the Indian tally at the recently concluded 2010 Commonwealth Games

2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...

 in New Delhi. In the Men's 10 m air rifle singles event, he shot a perfect 600 which was a new record. Gagan also clinched a silver medal in his pet event at the Asian Games 2010. He also combined with Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Singh Bindra is an Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab and is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event...

 and Sanjeev Rajput

Sanjeev Rajput

Sanjeev Rajput is an Arjuna Awardee Indian shooter from Yamunanagar, Haryana. He won the bronze medal in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He contested in the men's 50 m rifle prone event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but failed to reach the finals...

  to provide the country with another silver, in the team event behind champions China. Both of his silves were won on the opening day of Asian Games

Gagan Narang is a gold medalist in the Afro Asian games, 2003 in Hyderabad on October 26, 2003 in Men's 10m air rifle competition. He had won an air rifle gold medal at the World Cup 2006 and followed that event in April 2008.

In a pre-Olympic event in Hannover, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Gagan shot an air rifle score higher than the world record, 704.3 as opposed to 703.1 set by Thomas Farnik

Thomas Farnik

Thomas Farnik, born 6 January 1967 in Vienna, is an Austrian rifle shooter.He was twelve years old when his father introduced him to shooting. He started with a rifle, and his father remained involved with his early training....

 of Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 in the World Cup 2006.

Gagan qualified for the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final

2008 ISSF World Cup Final (rifle and pistol)

The 2008 ISSF World Cup Final in rifle and pistol events was held 3–5 November 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand, as the conclusion of the 2008 World Cup season. The final was held in Bangkok for the second consecutive time, and third overall....

 after he won a bronze in the World Cup in China earlier in 2008. Gagan shot a perfect 600 in the qualification round. He scored 103.5 in the final round making total score of 703.5 to gain the world record. He broke Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

's Thomas Farnik

Thomas Farnik

Thomas Farnik, born 6 January 1967 in Vienna, is an Austrian rifle shooter.He was twelve years old when his father introduced him to shooting. He started with a rifle, and his father remained involved with his early training....

's record, set in the 2006 World Cup final in Granada

Granada

Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. Gagan said his win was special because Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, who won the United States' Presidential election on same day, was a source of inspiration.

ISSF World Medal Tally

No.	Event	Championship	Year	Place	Medal
1	10 metre air rifle	ISSF World Shooting Championships ISSF World Shooting Championships The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these early competitions are still seen by the organization as...	2010	Munich
2	10 metre air rifle	ISSF World Cup ISSF World Cup The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...	2010	Beijing
3	50m Rifle 3 Positions	ISSF World Cup ISSF World Cup The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...	2009	Changwon
4	10m air rifle	ISSF World Cup ISSF World Cup The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...	2009	Changwon
5	10 metre air rifle	ISSF World Cup Final 2008 ISSF World Cup Final (rifle and pistol) The 2008 ISSF World Cup Final in rifle and pistol events was held 3–5 November 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand, as the conclusion of the 2008 World Cup season. The final was held in Bangkok for the second consecutive time, and third overall....	2008	Bangkok
6	10m air rifle	ISSF World Cup	2008	Beijing
7	10m air rifle	ISSF World Cup	2006	Guangzhou

World record

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Current world records held in men's 10 metre air rifle
Men

Controversy

In Aug, 2010 Gagan has publicly expressed his displeasure after not getting the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...

 award and he threatened to skip the 2010 Commonwealth Games

2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...

 due to lack of motivation. But he participated and won multiple gold medals.

Award

In recognition with his achievements, Gagan Narang was conferred with the Padma Shree Award in 2010.
Gagan Narang has been selected for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...

award for 2010. This is the highest sports award in the country.
He was conferred the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by President Pratibha Patil on August 29 2011.