A lookback at Abhinav Bindra's gold medal at Beijing Olympics

Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win an Individual gold medal at the Olympics.

On August 11, 2008, Abhinav Bindra made Indian Olympic history. He won India’s first individual gold medal in the 10-meter air rifle event.

Bindra’s interest in shooting began when he was young. His father, who often cleaned guns, sparked his curiosity. This led to Bindra’s dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Bindra first competed at the Olympics at age 17 in Sydney in 2000. He didn’t win a medal, but the experience motivated him to do better.

Before the 2004 Athens Summer Games, Bindra was performing well. He was ranked third in the world. In the qualifying rounds, he broke the world record by scoring 597 out of 600 points. This made Indian fans hopeful for a medal.

However, things didn’t go as planned in the final round. Bindra’s shots were off-target and he fell out of the top positions. He ended up not winning a medal, which was disappointing for him and his supporters.

This setback, however, set the stage for his later success at Beijing 2008, where he finally achieved his gold medal dream.

Analyzing mistakes & detailed preparation

After returning home, Bindra and his coach went back to the drawing board and analyzed what went wrong during the finals. Bindra became extremely detail-oriented in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During training, he subjected himself to every possible situation that could occur in the arena.

Bindra also spent a lot of time in Germany, under coaches Heinz Reinkemeier and Gabriele Buhlmann. Bindra had rehearsed everything that he would do in Beijing, which even included his walk to the shooting area in ankle-high boots and his stance. He also underwent commando training a week before the Olympic Games. 

Beijing 2008

Bindra had prepared carefully for the 2008 Olympics. He easily passed the first round. However, he faced a problem just before the final. The sights on his gun weren’t working properly during practice shots. He quickly fixed this issue just in time.

Once the final started, Bindra performed extremely well. He consistently hit the target, scoring 10 points or more on most shots. He took the lead, with only Finland’s Henri Häkkinen keeping up with him.

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The competition came down to the last shot. Häkkinen scored 9.7 points, while Bindra scored an impressive 10.8. This gave Bindra the gold medal with a total score of 700.5 points. China’s Zhu Qinan won silver with 699.7 points and Häkkinen got bronze with 699.4 points.

Bindra’s win was a big deal for Indian sports. It showed that Indian athletes could win gold medals at the Olympics. This inspired many young Indian athletes to aim high. Since Bindra’s victory, India’s performance at the Olympics has generally improved.

His gold medal helped change how people in India think about sports and what Indian athletes can achieve. It gave hope and confidence to the next generation of Indian Olympians.

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