Hyderabad: 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist rifle shooter Gagan Narang and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist pistol shooter Annu Raj Singh will tie the knot later this month in Hyderabad.
Both Gagan and Annu have known each other for over two decades since they have been part of the Indian shooting teams at various tournaments for about 20 years.
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Asked how this relationship developed, Annu, an Olympiad and an Arjuna Award recipient, said, "We have been teammates since 2002 and are friends since then. We have been together since long and have been around during each other’s high and lows. I guess the feeling of tying the knot grew with time."
Meanwhile, Gagan said, "My mother is fond of her and her parents liked me too, so it is partially an arranged marriage too."
The 37-year-old marksman said spending time with parents during the pandemic has helped him to make this decision.
Annu, now a retired shooter, was last seen in her new role as a commentator for the Sony Network for the Shooting World Cup at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi in March 2021.
Together Gagan and Annu represented India in several international tournaments.
Gagan, who runs his shooting academy - Gun for Glory- in Hyderabad, has recently was in the news after he gave Yemeni shooter Amal Mudhsh a gun to help her participate in the women's 10m air rifle event in the recently concluded New Delhi ISSF World Cup.
Amal Mudhsh, a PhD student, arrived in New Delhi with her nine-month-old child, to take part in the Shooting World Cup. But she couldn't afford a gun, so Narang at the request of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) came forward to help her.
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Gagan won several medals for India in the Afro-Asian Games, ISSF Shooting World Cup and Commonwealth Games during his career. In the 2012 London Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event.
In 2010, Annu paired up with Heena Sidhu to win the gold medal in women's Pairs 10-metre air pistol at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
