Norwegian ace all praise for Narang’s Gun For Glory trainees’ dedication to the sport
Norwegian ace all praise for Narang’s Gun For Glory trainees’ dedication to the sport
Olympian Anne Grethe Jeppesen of Norway, former National coach of Denmark and an ISSF trainer’s A-Licence holder, conducted a two-week camp in coordination with Gun For Glory (GFG), run by London Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang, at the SATS ranges on the Central University campus here.
In a chat with The Hindu, Jeppesen said she could see that India’s preparations for Paris 2024, at least in shooting, was on in earnest at Gun for Glory.”
“The dedication with which the people here are working means that the sport is definitely on the up and up,” she said. “I also feel the kids are more professional. The fact that they can set aside their academics for a while to completely focus on their sport indicates that there is an educational system that supports them to improve as athletes.”
Striking the right balance
However, she advised the athletes to watch their health maintaining the delicate balance between training load and physical-cum-mental health. “Maintaining that balance is an art. That’s what separates the best from the rest,” she said.
“The Project Leap camps have been organised in such a way that even if I’m not able to stay in touch individually with each of them, I can count on the coaches in the programme to follow up with the students and coordinate with me in turn,” Jeppesen said.
“We have development and action plans in place that are strictly followed. I must thank the coaches at GFG — Neha Chavan, Bibaswan Ganguly and Nishant Nathwani among others — who have flown in from different parts of the country with their wards and do a terrific job of ensuring they follow the plan designed for them,” she said.
London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang with Jeppesen.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
She said, Narang, after his remarkable success in the sport, had retained the hunger to make a difference. “I was also touched by the respect given to coaches and mentors. It is a big part of Indian culture,” she said.
“Honestly, GFG has shown me a very different and yet highly efficient model of moulding shooters,” she concluded.
