Making India Proud: Abhinav Bindra shoots his way to India's first ever Olympic gold medal in solo event

by ***§ñõwƒlãkê*** Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:13 pm

Making India Proud: Abhinav Bindra shoots his way to India's first ever Olympic gold medal in solo event

India's wait for an Olympic gold medal in an individual event is finally over! Shooter Abhinav Bindra fired his way to victory in the 10-meter air rifle event on Monday, giving India her first gold medal in Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, center, of India, silver medalist Zhu Qinan, left, of China, and bronze medalist Henri Hakkinen, of Finland, stand on the podium during the medal ceremony after the men`s 10m Air Rifle final at Shooting Range Hall at the Beij
Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, center, of India, silver medalist Zhu Qinan, left, of China, and bronze medalist Henri Hakkinen, of Finland, stand on the podium during the medal ceremony after the men`s 10m Air Rifle final at Shooting Range Hall at the...
India`s Abhinav Bindra shoots during the men`s 10m air rifle final at Shooting Range Hall at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 11, 2008
India`s Abhinav Bindra shoots during the men`s 10m air rifle final at Shooting Range Hall at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 11, 2008. Bindra won the gold medal. (AP Photo)
Gold medallist Abhinav Bindra of India (R) is hugged by his coach Gabriele Buhlmann after shooting in the finals of the men`s 10m air rifle competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008
Gold medallist Abhinav Bindra of India (R) is hugged by his coach Gabriele Buhlmann after shooting in the finals of the men`s 10m air rifle competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008. (Reuters Photo)
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Bindra, who qualified for the finals in third place, outscored 2004 Olympic champion, China's Zhu Qinan and Finland's Henri Hakkinen for the top spot.

Bindra, the 2006 air rifle world champion, was tied with Hakkinen going into the final shot, but surged ahead, scoring 104.5 points, which was enough to clinch the title. Bindra's final score was 700.5 points, ahead of Zhu's 699.7 points and Hakkinen's 699.4 points. Zhu holds the Olympic record for the final score in the event, the 702.7 points, which he shot in Athens.

A visibly shattered Zhu said he was disappointed with his performance. "This time was much harder than Athens," said Zhu, who was the favorite to win the event. "My craving for the gold was much more than last time. For quite a long time, I felt melancholy and had complex feelings."

"I was under tremendous pressure and at times I felt really agitated. But I tried my best. I've been through a lot of hardship and shed a lot of tears in the last four years, there have been successes and failures," he said. "After 2004 my only aim has not changed. I had so very much wanted to be a champion at the Beijing Olympics."

But, "In the last two rounds I made several mistakes because I had used up all my physical and mental energy," Zhu said, sobbing.

Bindra's compatriot Gagan Narang did not perform well, coming ninth in the qualifier and failed to make the cut.

Bindra's triumph gives India her first Olympic gold medal ever in an individual event and a gold medal in any Olympic event after 28 years.

Bindra's triumph is no fluke. Born in 1983, he was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games. Though he failed to win any medal then, he showed a lot of promise. In 2001, he won six gold medals at various international meets and in 2002, in the air rifle event at the Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won the gold medal in the pairs event and silver in the individual event. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Bindra broke the Olympic record but failed to win any medal.

However, the soft-spoken lad, who is a recipient of the Arjuna award in 2001 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year 2001-2002, was determined to win the gold this time.

by **Ghajini** Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:09 pm

Proud 2 b an INDIAN

Making India Proud: Abhinav Bindra shoots his way to India's first ever Olympic gold medal in solo event

Making India Proud: Abhinav Bindra shoots his way to India's first ever Olympic gold medal in solo event

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