It was one of the best moments of his career. Gagan Narang bettered his own World record to win gold in front of adoring home fans at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi on Wednesday.
In the last few years, the ace shooter achieved glory at nearly all major shooting events, but failure at the 2008 Olympics continues to haunt him.
"Yes, it does haunt me sometimes," Narang admitted, after winning the 10 metres air rifle event with a personal best of 703.6, on Tuesday.
He narrowly failed to make it to the finals of the event at the Beijing Games after being ruled out on the count back rule.
Incidentally, Narang went past his own World record of 703.5 on Wednesday, but the mark will not be counted, as the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) only ratifies records set at the Olympics, World Championships and continental sporting meets, like the Asian Games.
On his way to the gold, Narang outclassed compatriot and Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, who had to settle for silver, with 698 points.
This was another instance of Narang getting the better of his team-mate. He also came out best at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and Shooting World Cup in Beijing in April.
And it was no surprise that Bindra rated Narang "the best shooter in the world", and predicted a bright future for the Hyderabadi lad.
"Gagan is an outstanding shooter. He is a shooter par excellence. He is one of the best in the world and there is no doubt about it. He has been shooting so well over the last 3-4 years and he has been so consistent. He is one of the best shooters in the world. I am sure he will win the World Championships and an Olympic medal in time to come," Bindra said.
However, Narang was quick to dismiss any talk of comparison or rivalry among the two.
"Me and Abhinav go a long way. When I was still trying to get into my shooting shoes, I heard about Abhinav. It feels very nice to compete with him. We compete with each other and it is not that we are competing against each other, because shooting is an individual sport. Over the past two weeks, we had a good exchange of conversation and good relation building. There is a lot to learn from each other," Narang said.
It was double delight for Hyderabad sports fans as VVS Laxman on Tuesday had single-handedly steered India to victory in the first Test against Australia.
And Narang revealed the secret: "I guess it goes to the Hyderabadi biryani, after all. It feels good."
The 27-year-old pointed out that Rajyavardhan Rathore raised the profile of the sport after his silver medal at the Athens Olympics and Bindra followed up on that showing with gold in Beijing four years later.
"After Rajyavardhan Rathore won the silver in Athens and Abhinav won the gold in Beijing, people know what shooting is all about."
Gagan, who won four gold medals at the Melbourne Games, is looking to better that record. He is targeting six gold in Delhi.
Despite getting off to a good start, he claimed things will not be easy.
"There is a lot of competition in the other events too, so [am] trying to keep myself focused," he added.
Bindra, though, sounded upbeat about his performance at the Delhi Games.
"I am enjoying my shooting. It is a new journey for me post the Olympics. I am really keen and more hungry to perform again. The signs are encouraging and I am happy with my performance at the Commonwealth Games and that is a good thing ahead of the big events like the Asian Games," he said.
