I have won a lot of medals but the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is special, says Gagan Narang

“Very satisfying, in the sense that the kind of difficulties that we faced earlier. Things have been changing — things have been improving in terms of getting medals and stuff like that. I have won a lot of medals and awards but this is special because it is for our whole team. This is a boost for the youngsters, it will help us fuel our dream of carving out future Olympians,” Narang told Hindustan Times. 

“One thing is that the federation and the government have ensured less procedural hassle in terms of (procuring) equipment because almost nothing is made in India. Because of that people are able to access sports goods faster. Also, this is a very individual sport, everything depends on your own performance. It’s also a very mental sport and not so physically demanding initially. So, a lot of people see an advantage in taking to this sport to build up mental health as it teaches you how to focus, how to concentrate,” he said.

“I am still competing and want to compete and have started training for eight months. I am shooting fairly well right now. But I am staying in the present and taking things one at a time. So, if it comes, then it comes. If you have to qualify, you have to perform and if the performance is good enough, then it will be,” Narang added.