Posted On Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 06:54:57 PM
|
|
|
London Live: With two days to go for his 10m air rifle event, Gagan Narang's campaign to win a medal in London, and wrest back some of the aura from his fiercest rival and compatriot Abhinav Bindra, has suffered a severe jolt.
Narang’s coach, the Kazakh Stanislaus Lapidus who has been credited with turning his career around, has taken ill since Wednesday, and may not be by his side during Monday's shoot-off.
National coach Sunny Thomas told Mirror on Saturday that Lapidus had been admitted in hospital due to high fever soon after arriving in London. "The doctors are unable to diagnose what is wrong with Stan. I've been making rounds to the hospital. We are hoping he gets better soon," Thomas said.
 |
| Gagan Narang |
After he had missed out in Beijing, a bitterly disappointed Narang had taken a vow that things would be different from then on. His quest had led him of Kazakh rifle coach Lapidus, with whom he felt an instant, uncanny connection.
The combination clicked like few things had before for Gagan as he won golds at Delhi Commonwealth Games and emerged successful at the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Narang, who ended the 2010 season with eight medals, has said several times that the Kazakh has played a huge role in his development as a world-class shooter. "He knows how to fire me up. We share a good rapport. I'm lucky to have a good support system," he had said after the Asian Games.
Losing Lapidus, who trains other rifle shooters in the Indian contingent as well, may have an impact on the team's performance, but no one will be affected more by his absence than Narang. More than the technical aspect of the sport, Lapidus has had a huge influence on his confidence and mental strength.
"Abhinav works with his personal coach, so we feel his situation is fine," Thomas said. "I think Gagan, too, will be able to handle the pressure without Stan. He is a world-class shooter and I will be working closely with him. I'm in constant touch with Gagan and his mental trainer, and I know he will pull through," he said, adding ruefully, "of course it would have been great to have had Stan fit and available."
For the last few months, Gagan has been in lock-down, staying away from the media and all other distractions until his events in London. Unlike Bindra, who concentrates only on the 10m Air Rifle event, Narang has a shot in three events in London. He will feature in the 50m prone and the 50m 3-position events as well.
|
03:37:55 PM