Expectation is a strange phenomenon and what it does to people is quite peculiar. Take Indian Olympic athletes for example, every four years a large section of the country’s population rallies behind them to bring home laurels at an event where competition is at its zenith. Take into consideration that no one has any clue about their stories, preparations and struggles; the entire proposition is quite bizarre. However, the Union of India binds all of us together and every four years, the tri-colour makes us expect things from Olympians as if they are our children.
It is more than a month since shooting got over at the 2016 Rio Olympics and people seem to have already moved on from the heartbreak of seeing Jitu Rai and Abhinav Bindra coming close to winning a medal but missing out. However, a man who has not forgotten things is shooter Gagan Narang, who came so close to qualifying for the finals of 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle Prone events but missed out. The 2012 London Olympics medalist recalls what happened in Rio de Janeiro and it’s not a pretty memory.
After blazing to superb starts in both events, Narang tapered off towards the end and was not able to make the finals. “As you have pointed out, things went wrong in the end. Good start always does not mean a good end. In Air Rifle I lost the momentum and in 50-m Prone I was unable to tame the wind, which I have done in several competitions in the past. The last four shots were very disappointing,” he said, talking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.
The entire nation went into virtual mourning when the shooting contingent came back empty handed for it was expected to open India’s medal account in Rio. If the quantum of emotions was so high among the people, how do athletes like Bindra and Narang deal with losses? Having won medals consistently over the years, returning back empty handed from an event that is the cynosure of all eyes must be heartbreaking.
“Shooting is a very individual journey. I am not sure what Abhinav's methods are but I try to find what went wrong and work back. I get back to the drawing board, almost always have had. It is emotional in the beginning but later practicality takes over,” Narang says while talking about how athletes deal with loss.
As critics, journalists and fans, a lot of us sometimes tend to forget that sport, by its natural disposition, is a thoroughly individual experience. “Sport like life, takes one through several highs and lows and as one travels the path; he/she becomes better prepared. Everyone has their personal way of coping up with loss,” he adds.
Is it not a bit unfair on athletes to be loaded with tons expectations every four years, despite being in oblivion for a long time? Narang disagrees. “I do not think it is wrong to expect medals every four years. My contention is that the process needs to be planned well. And once things are streamlined, I am sure more medals will come,” he states quite clearly.
India had a disappointing campaign in Rio de Janeiro and three girls, Dipa Karmakar, Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu, were grace savers. Not only did their achievements make India proud, they combined to write new chapter in the history of Indian sport, which will be remembered for years. Gagan Narang heaps a great deal of praise on them while describing how those three, in their own ways, created legacies.
“I think three girls who made Rio stand out are Sindhu, Sakshi and Dipa. I also take Dipa's name in the same breath because even while we were shooting in London 2012, no one thought that India would have an entrant in gymnastics in Rio, let alone one reaching the vault final. Dipa did the unthinkable,” he said while talking about the gymnast from Tripura.
Sakshi and Sindhu, the two medalists, did the unprecedented in their respective sports, something that Narang feels is quite stunning. “Sindhu has travelled on a more defined, chartered territory but her achievement is phenomenal and so is Sakshi's. Their respective sports have taken giant strides with their achievements.
Probably with her achievement, shabdkosh will think of coming up with a female word for 'pehelwan' and no one will ever question a girl taking to wrestling to earn a living out of it,” he says quite cheekily.
If the achievements of Sakshi and Sindhu were unprecedented, so were the celebrations that followed upon their return. Felicitation ceremonies, cash prizes and accolades were showered on them in abundance, so much that an entire section on social media, both national and international, started questioning the manner, calling it overboard and embarrassing.
Narang thinks otherwise and says that these achievements are immense and must be celebrated. “I do not think we need to be embarrassed at all. An Olympic medal in sports is somewhat like winning a Nobel in Academics, a Fields Medal in Maths, an Oscar in Films or Grammy in Music and each one needs to be celebrated. How else will people know what this means to the nation.
Am not sure how many of the critics in their life have attempted to win an Olympic medal, let alone won one. I know people have have been taking bets on Twitter about England winning an ICC Cricket WC before India wins the next Olympic gold. I think it's a bit churlish,” he says while taking a jibe at social media commentators.
One thing that has slipped under the radar during all these years is how Hyderabad has produced some of India’s top class sportsmen including Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Sania Mirza and Gagan Narang himself. Something is certainly being done in the right manner and there is a system in place. However, Narang decides not to praise Hyderabad due to some not so good past experiences.
“I would avoid that question given that people were spiteful after I praised Sindhu and spoke about how we all are a product of the Hyderabad system,” he says. PV Sindhu’s achievement at 2016 Rio Olympics was as much institutional as individual. Former Indian badminton star Pullela Gopichand’s academy in Hyderabad has nurtured badminton talent in the country and the results are there for everyone to see. The importance of processes, institutions and systems is often ignored in India.
Narang, himself, runs a shooting academy by the name of Gun For Glory, which aims at honing the best shooting talent across the country. While Narang praises Gopichand’s processes and hard work, he believes support, both from the government and corporate houses, becomes imperative when the aim is to win Olympic medals.
“I think what Gopi has not achieved as a player, he has done so as a coach. His methods are impeccable and the man is very hard working. True he has shown what can be achieved,” he says, talking about Gopichand.
“Gun For Glory works in two formats- one where we run ourselves for which always struggle to find support in sponsors, one that are with like minded people wanting to promote sooting sport individuals and schools interested in budding young talent in shooting and a one with the support of the state government.
All formats are unique and have their own challenges but they have worked well until now. In the last 5 years we have managed to win over 90 international medals and Apurvi Chandela qualified and shot alongside me in the Rio Olympics. I strongly believe that the day isn't far when we shall also get podium finishes at the Olympic Games but that needs a lot of corporate funding and freedom to just focus on training instead of sitting in offices asking for sponsorships,” the shooter explains.
The future is one thing that no sportsman likes to talk about, maybe because it is too far ahead and these are fairly sorted people, who meticulously plan their lives unlike a lot of us. Upon being asked about whether he would like to be India’s Sports Minister in the future, Narang replies, “I do not think i can answer about the sports minister because ministers do not win medals for the country it the system they form and make that assists, nurture talent and provides them with the right tools to go out there and win medals. I will be happy if my knowledge and experience is used for development and betterment of sports in the country.”
Will we see Narang at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics? The answer is quite uncertain. “It is a long way. It is difficult to see/predict four years when all we do is take one day at a time. I have to do rehab of my heel, get rid of injuries i have had cause of my sport and then start training again. Once my mind and body are n sync, will begin the process,” he says.
In an age when diplomacy and safe answering is the norm followed by a large portion of sportsmen in India, here is a man who does not shy away from calling a spade a spade. Narang might not have won a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics but the shooter is for sure working towards nurturing shooters through his academy and hopes to produce their version of PV Sindhu in the coming years.
