 "Abhinav Bindra: Numero uno even at No.4")
A few decimal points are all that separated a career ending high from a disappointing exit. Abhinav Bindra came agonizingly close to winning another Olympic medal for India in the 10m but as fate would have it, Bindra walks away from a sport without a fairytale ending.
Thirty-three, one would feel is not the age to retire, especially in a sport like shooting. Rajyavardhan Rathore won the silver medal at Athens Olympics when he was 34. Bindra’s fellow shooter Gagan Narang is 33 whereas trap shooter Manavjit Sandhu is 39. Bindra, however, has represented India for the last 18 long and tiring years now. He has had a stellar career – seven medals in Commonwealth Games, three medals in Asian Games – and has done India proud on the international arena on many occasions.
What separates Bindra from the rest is that he has always gone the extra mile in his pursuit for excellence. Eight years ago when he became India’s only individual gold medallist in Beijing, he said, “he was relieved” as years of hard work and dedication had paid off. Boxer Akhil Kumar tells a story of how he found Bindra sitting in a McDonald’s hours after his heroics in Beijing. Bindra hasn’t craved attention or glory but has chased perfection and brilliance.
Bindra first shot to limelight when he became the youngest Indian to participate in the 2000 Commonwealth Games. A year later, he set a junior world record by shooting 597/600 at the 2001 World Cup in Munich. After impressive performances in the next couple of years, Bindra’s aim was Athens Olympics. It’s kind of uncanny how every four years since Athens, Bindra has always been amongst the medal “hopefuls” for India.
Athens, however, was a low point for Bindra considering he went into the 2004 Olympics in what was his best form. At the Olympics, you need a lot of things going for you and despite shooting well in qualifying, Bindra failed in the 10m rifle finals. Two years later, Bindra was back with a bang, as he became the first Indian to win a gold in World Shooting Championship in Zagreb.
Indians will always remember Beijing 2008 for Bindra’s heroics and he went an extra mile to accomplish his dream. He turned his backyard into a shooting range, worked with foreign coaches and never stopped believing. It was overwhelming for him though and he quit shooting for 18 months after Beijing. He went on a meditation course, stayed away from the sport and came back hungrier to win a gold and silver in 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Bindra’s biographer and renowned sports journalist Rohit Brijnath described shooting as “its pursuit is terrifying simple: perfection.” For 18 years, Bindra has chased perfection and done it remarkably well. In an interview he once said that for a shooter, “there are ups and downs, perhaps more downs than ups in a sporting career.”
Anyone who saw the event yesterday would know what a gut-wrenching feeling it was when he came agonizingly close. It gives you perspective about how difficult it is to win an Olympic medal. The margin for error is negligible and one has to beat the crème’ de la crème of the sport to have a shot at glory. A lot of people are lamenting Bindra’s exit from Rio Olympics. We, however, should celebrate a remarkable career of a brilliant Indian athlete. Bindra typically shrugged off his loss and said, “Somebody had to be fourth, and I am fourth! I did well. I gave it all and I am very, very proud how I finished.”
Bindra has always given his all and the whole country should be extremely proud at what he has achieved. Who knows he might just change his mind and give it one more shot? Even if he doesn’t, Abhinav Bindra will go down as one of the finest sporting heroes India has ever produced.
