Narang academy to train future stars
The Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation on Friday announced Project Leap Plan to train and turn 20 young and talented shooters of the country into international champions.
The chosen shooters would be mentored by international coaches and receive training at top notch facilities, including sports science support, for a year at the academy founded by the Khel Ratna awardee and London Olympics bronze medallist.
“We identified 55 prospective shooters and put them through an elaborate evaluation process to select the 20 best,” the rifle shooter said.
“We looked for various skillsets that are required for sustained high-level performances in world-level competitions,” he added.
Narang’s Gun For Glory academies identified 55 shooters and he supervised each centre’s selection process to hand-pick the best prospects.
The project is part of Narang’s mentoring programme with a vision for the 2024 Olympics.
“It has taken us a couple of years to bring together all stakeholders and find the right ingredients for Project Leap. It is now in its truest sense a leap for Indian shooting. We are confident that we will be able to tap and nurture the vast talent in our country and will help in transforming them into world class shooters,” said the 34-yearold.
Former Indian shooting coach and director of the GNSPF, Pawan Singh added, “The selected shooters will undergo specialised training programmes in their respective Gun For Glory academies.
“They will be provided with international standard equipment for daily practice. Through the year, the youngsters will attend different camps as well, with each camp lasting 12 days, in which equal weightage will be given to mental and physical preparation and technical refinement.”