New Delhi: Abhinav Bindra has hit just about every career target within his range, with the one glaring exception now directly in his sight being the Asiad starting September 19 in Incheon, South Korea.
A sporting resume containing Olympic, world and Commonwealth Games gold medals isn't quite complete without the addition of an Asian Games title and this could be his last chance to win it.
Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal with his victory in the 10-meter air rifle title at Beijing in 2008. It was India's first Olympic gold medal since the field hockey team last won in 1980, and made him an instant sporting hero in the country of 1.2 billion.
He announced earlier this year that the recently completed Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would be his last. And he capped that competition with a gold medal. Bindra finished the last Asian Games with a silver medal in the team event, after missing the 2006 Asiad in Doha, Qatar due to injury. He has been one of India's top marksmen for about 15 years. He has experienced the highs of the Olympics – he made his debut at the Sydney 2000 Games at age 17 – but also encountered tougher times.
“There were times when my life was full of frustrations and nervousness and I even thought of giving up the sport many times,” said the 31-year-old.
"But the support of my parents, willpower and determination helped me to pull out from the heat of those moments,” he added.
He was upstaged by a compatriot at London 2012, when Gagan Narang won the bronze. Narang had also beaten Bindra for the individual gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
"Life is full of ups and downs, so one should focus on hard work and enjoy the journey rather than the final outcome or the medal,” he said, reflecting on the rigorous practice he'd done since the age of 13.
Bindra says he has been able to achieve despite the Indian sports system. He came from a wealthy family in Chandigarh, and was able to map out his own competition and training schedules without waiting for government sanctions. He also had the benefit of a shooting range at home.
"I was most impressed by his truthfulness and eagerness, always wanting to learn," says mental trainer Amit Bhattacharjee, who helped convince Bindra not to quit after the 2004 Athens Olympics where he led going into the final but placed seventh.
Expectations on Bindra are high in Incheon but the Chinese pair of Wang Tao and Zhu Qinan and Kim Jong-Hyun of South Korea will pose a challenge at the Ongnyeon International Shooting Range. Add to that the failure of grabbing an Olympic quota place at the recent World Championships in Granada, Spain, and Bindra knows it will take something special to come home with a gold medal.
Bindra knows the situation well and tweeted after his failure to make the final at Granada: “air rifle event is a young persons sport now so oldies like me have to compensate, get better, strive harder to catch up with the youngsters."
