interviews

Abhinav Bindra

After the historic gold medal winning act, ace shooter Abhinav Bindra runs us through his frame of mind...

You came into the finals with a lot of confidence finishing fourth in the qualifiers? How big a factor was your performance in the qualifying event to the eventual outcome?

Well just getting to the final is a difficult feat in itself. All in the final could win it just happened to be my day.

Can you run us through all the highlights of the day. Your nervous moments, some bits of your self-talk.How did you deal with the crucial moments before your final shots?

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or scared. And now looking back I went into the competition knowing I had to go for it and I am happy I ended up winning.

Prior to the event who was your biggest threat among the other shooters barring China's Qinen with the home support?

There were lots of good shooters in the field. Of course Zhou, but also Moldoveneau, Gagan, Sidi, Cao, just to name a few. Our sport is a funny one, anyone could win on a given day.

You came into the tournament ranking 17th in the world. And in the finals you upset the Athens champion - Qinen of China. Is that an indication that world rankings do not really matter prior to a tournament like these?

Yes, in my sport the world rankings don't mean anything.

Now that you have an Olympic Gold - the pinnacle of sporting glories what is your next target?

I am blank, I have no idea what the next step is.

So who do you credit your exemplary success to?

I credit my success to my family, friends, supporters and MCT.

You have been there and attained all the highest achievements in the sport of shooting from topping the world rankings and setting world records. How do you prepare yourself mentally for every challenge?

I try and train my body to cope under pressure every practice and try and get as nervous as possible in small competitions so that when the moment is there, it is not new to me.

You overcame and effectively fought the ghosts of Athens where you faced a few subjective setbacks which ruined your chances of victory despite an exemplary showing. Could you tell us about that?

The episode from Athens just made me more determined and focused. I was close then and knew I could do it so from then on I was only thinking about how to get the Gold.

You will be the inspiration for many other sportspersons who will look ahead to emulate your success. What is your message for them?

We deserve a lot more Gold and am not sure why it was not done. Please dream for the highest possible since it is definitely achievable.

As a gold medal winner, there will be an onus on you to promote the sport. What are your plans in this regard?

I am going to do something where I can give back to my sport. I just have to wait for all this to sink in first.

Thank you Abhinav for setting the highest benchmark for the Indians and proving that they can do it.