In India’s sporting history, Abhinav Bindra chronicled his name as India’s first individual gold medallist at the Olympics. At 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Abhinav Bindra clinched the historic gold.
The rifle-shooter was awarded and applauded by his home country with the Arjuna and Padma Bhushan ( third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India). Bindra started off his journey in Olympics as the youngest Indian participant at Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Delving into the early years, achievements and the awards and accolades received by Abhinav Bindra.
Early Years of Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra was born on September 28, 1982, Dehradun, India. Belonging to a rich Punjabi family, Abhinav had full support from his parents. To enhance his shooting prowess, an indoor shooting region had been built by his parents outside their home in Patiala.
It was his mentor, Dr. Amit Bhattacharjee and his first coach Col. Dhillon who unearthed his shooting talent.
And at the age of 15, Abhinav started off as the youngest Indian participant competing at the Commonwealth Games of 1998. After graduating from St. Stephen’s School, Chandigarh, he was again the youngest participant (17) at the Olympics in 2000. He scored 560 in the qualification round and placed himself at Rank 11.
Soon after his perseverance and dedication, earned him a many gold medals at various international meets.
Abhinav Bindra’s Achievements
But the journey to gold wasn’t a smooth one. Bindra first won a bronze at 2001 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. He set a junior world record with an initial phase score of 597 out of a maximum 600 points in the 10-metre rifle event.
He clinched his first gold at 2002 Commonwealth Games. He garnered two medals there- a gold in the pairs event and a silver in the individual event of the 10-metre air rifle competition.
Second gold, he won at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He also won a bronze in the solo event. In 2006, Bindra became the first Indian rifle shooter to place first at a World Championship competition. There he grabbed his third gold, winning 10-metre air rifle gold at the ISSF World Championships.
At the Commonwealth Games in 10m Air Rifle event, Abhinav Bindra achieved the gold medals in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 respectively.
The crowning glory in Abhinav’s stellar sporting career was at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. There he became first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal at men’s 10-metre air rifle competition.
At the 2014 Asian Games, held in Inch’ŏn, South Korea, he won bronze medals for both the individual and team events in the 10-metre air rifle competition. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he placed fourth in the men’s 10-metre air rifle event, almost clinching the gold medal.
After 2016 Olympics, he retired from the sport. He is running “Abhinav Bindra Shooting Development Program”. Bindra is also an active member of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Sports Committee since 2010. He is also the C.E.O. of the only distributor of Walther Arms in India.
Abhinav Bindra Awards and Accolades
- In 2000, Bindra was bestowed with “Arjuna Award” by the Government of India.
- And in the next year, 2001 he was honoured with “Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award” by the Government of India.
- Then in 2009, Bindra received the third-highest civilian award “Padma Bhushan” by the Government of India.
- In 2011, he was appointed as the honourary Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army.
- In 2018 he was awarded the Blue Cross by the ISSF for his exceptional services to the sport of shooting.
“A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold” ,is Abhinav’s autobiography written with Rohit Brijnath, that was published in 2011.
Tabinda Mir is a writer from Kashmir. She is an English Honours graduate and her interests primarily dwell in poetry and sports writing. She likes to cover Cricket as an avid fan. Apart from sports, her other publications include articles, poems and a letter to summer in the book titled, “Under The Summer Skies”.
Also, her leisure time activities include reading novels, poetry, non literary works, philosophies and writing poetry, short stories, articles on diverse themes.
