Shooting: Gagan shoots perfect score again

Ace marksman Gagan Narang has underlined the fact that he missed an Olympic medal just by sheer bad luck, as he once again shot a perfect score — this time in the ongoing German Shooting League.

Narang, who had missed the finals of Beijing Olympics by a whisker, scored a perfect 400/400 in the 10 rifle event in Bundesliga yesterday.

He had earlier this month set a world record of 600/600 in the World Cup finals at Bangkok, Thailand.

“I feel happy to shoot perfect scores of 600 and 400,” said Narang.

His team manager Knut Boettig said it was the first time that an international scooter had fired a perfect score in the League. “This is not only the first perfect score of this season of Bundesliga but also is the first shot by an international shooter at the league in the the last 5 years, as far as my memory goes,” he said.

The league has a 40 shot format common to both men and women. Narang shot the perfect score of 400 out of 400 leaving Karin Prediger, the three-time German champion, no chance to win at all. Prediger shot 396.

Narang’s feat also guided his club team to win the match 3:2 against Petersaurach and now needs to win one more match to enter the finals, from the two matches still to be played against Prittlebach and Der Bund Munchen.

Top four teams will take part in the finals.

India’s rifle coach Laszlo Szucsak of Hungary had said “it is extremely difficult for even the best of the best to shoot a perfect score at the German league matches as it becomes difficult to concentrate during the match due to the continuous loud sounds of the cheering audience, drums and the whistles.”

Shooting:World record holder Narang eyes London Olympics

Gagan Narang is setting his eyes on the Olympic Gold in the London edition. Talking to CNN IBN here is what he said,

India’s first and only individual gold medal in Olympics, Abhinav Bindra, could not shoot a perfect score at the Games but compatriot Gagan Narang shot a perfect 600 and then smashed another world record as he won the 10 meter Air rifle world cup final in Bangkok last week.

Narang has returned home after winning his biggest title till date – the World Cup final.

The field comprised of only the top 10 performers of the year including the Olympic medallists.

Narang won shooting 600 out of 600 to equal the world record in the 10 meter air rifle qualifiers and then a 103.5 in the final to create a new world record for overall score.

“It feels marvellous. I feel on top of the world to achieve what I have always though about. I have done it in training, I have done it in competitions but never officially so it is good,” says Narang.

It’s been a dramatic turnaround for the Hyderabadi shooter. He was the man in form but famously missed out on the Olympic final on a technicality and watched from the stands as Bindra created history in Beijing.

“It was quite disappointing for me at the Olympic Games. a lot of people who thought very highly of me weren’t thinking highly because I missed narrowly,” he says about Beijing Olympic Games.

The loss in the Olympics has made Narang more determined and he’s already got London in his sights.

“I have to sit down and chalk out a plan as to which competitions I want to attend and which competitions I would want to peak at, which are the important competitions for us,” he reveals his future plans.

Beijing was a blip in the radar for Gagan but unfortunately recognition in India is more or less dependent on Olympic glory and it’s a wrong he is determined to correct.