Winning two silver medals in a tough field is creditable, says Narang

GUANGZHOU - Despite missing the gold medals by a whisker, ace Indian shooter Gagan Narang is happy to have won two silver medals in the Asian Games from a tough field that included two Olympic champions.

Narang, winner of four golds at last month’s New Delhi Commonwealth Games, won the silver medals in the individual and team events of the 10 metre air rifle competition. The gold went to China’s 2004 Olympic champion Zhu Qinan, who avenged his 2008 loss to Abhinav Bindra in the Beijing Olympics.

In the team event, Narang (597), 2008 Olympic champion Bindra (593), and Sanjeev Rajput (593) missed the gold by a point after they shot a total of 1,783 in the team event at the Aoti Shooting Range.

Narang, a world No.4, was just 0.6 points behind the Chinese going into the final round. The Indian managed just 9.7 with his final shot while Zhu shot 10.4.

Narang admitted that it was tough for him to make up for the deficit after the qualifying stage despite the fact that he was leading the Chinese after the sixth shot in the final round.

“I am not disappointed at all. Today we won two silver medals and I feel this is a creditable performance in a tough field,” said Narang.

For China’s 26-year-old Zhu, the two gold medals, in the individual and team events, were sweet revenge for the heartbreak that he suffered in the Beijing Games two years back when he had to settle for silver behind Bindra.

“Revenge was not on my mind, I was just trying to concentrate on my own shooting. It is nice to please my home fans again,” said Zhu, who had broken into tears during the press conference two years back in Beijing.