Gagan Narang, India's Paris 2024 Chef-de-Mission, feels Olympians must be celebrated irrespective of results

The Indian shooting contingent at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics has surpassed expectations with three bronze medals in the kitty so far.

Though Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on adding a third medal to her kitty as she finished fourth in the 25m pistol shooting on Saturday, she will return home as the only Indian to have ever won two medals at the same Olympics.

She won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event and followed it up with another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event while partnering Sarabjot Singh.

“It has been an emotional first week in Paris, with shooting giving us a head start in the medal tally. I am overwhelmed with happiness to see Manu, Sarabjot and Swapnil win medals at the same time,” Gagan Narang, India's Chef-de-Mission for Paris 2024 and an Olympic medallist, said.

Swapnil Kusale's stunning bronze medal-winning performance in the 50m rifle 3 positions event also gave Indian fans another reason to celebrate.

“I remember competing alongside Swapnil in 2017 at the Commonwealth Championship in Gold Coast, where he claimed the bronze medal after giving me a tough fight for the silver medal,” the Indian shooting great stated.

“It is truly emotional to see him reaching this level and achieving his dream of winning an Olympic medal for India, and that too, on the same day that I won mine in 2012 in London. It almost feels like destiny.”

Incidentally, Kusale’s bronze was India’s first shooting medal in rifle events since Gagan Narang’s 2012 triumph.

“I am so proud of Arjun Babuta as well, who finished fourth in the tough 10m air rifle event. This is perhaps the greatest show by Indian shooters in the history of the Games,” Narang declared.

The Indian athletes also noted several other remarkable achievements in Paris with both Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula, creating history by reaching the round of 16 in table tennis.

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s hockey team defeated Australia in its final group stage match, recording the first win over the Kookaburras at the Olympics since Munich 1972. Harmanpreet Singh and Co. will take on Great Britain in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat finished fourth in the mixed team event on Friday to secure India’s best result in archery at the Summer Games. In the bronze medal match against the USA’s Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold, Bommadevara and Bhakat lost 6-2 to miss out on a historic podium finish.

“I am delighted to see our athletes rising up to the occasion and delivering such outstanding performances. My heartiest congratulations to all the medal winners and all the major achievers in Paris so far. Their performances have shown how much India has grown as a sporting nation over the past decade. I am confident that we are going to win more medals in Paris,” Narang predicted.

But while the Indian sporting fans are celebrating the successful run, Narang stressed the need to not forget the athletes who walked the tough road to Paris in the first place.

"As an athlete, it is everyone's dream to compete at the Olympics but only a few earn the opportunity after years of hard work. The margins in the Olympics are so less,” Narang said. “While winning medals is important, it is equally important to acknowledge our athletes' efforts for their years of hard work and sacrifice. As a nation, we must celebrate all our Olympians irrespective of the results.”

India's top medal prospects in badminton – two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the dynamic pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty - bowed out of the tournament on Thursday after hard-fought battles.

Promising boxer Preeti Pawar was eliminated after losing in the women's 54kg round of 16 while 20-year-old shooter Ramita Jindal also became only the second Indian female shooter after Suma Shirur to reach the final in a rifle event at the Olympics but missed out on a medal.

"I have had my fair share of disappointments in major tournaments. But every time I was unable to achieve the result I desired, I was motivated to do even better and I worked hard for it. All the athletes who were unable to win a medal will have a fire burning brighter in them and they will learn from their opponents and will be inspired to perform even better,” Narang said.

“I am confident all our Indian athletes are capable of winning medals. They have already made the nation proud, reaching so far in their careers, and have sparked a sporting revolution in the country, helping the upcoming generation of athletes to weave golden dreams of their own," he added before signing off.