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== Early years ==
== Early years ==

Abhinav Singh Bindra comes from an affluent Sikh family. He is a fifth generation descendant of legendary Sikh warrior Sardar [[Hari Singh Nalwa]] on his mother's side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://specials.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/13sd4.htm|title=Our son Abhinav - 'Abhhinav has lagan for hard work'|publisher=Rediff|accessdate=2008-08-13|date=[[2008-08-13]]}}</ref> His parents, Dr. Apjit and Babli Bindra, are promoters of the [http://www.drbindracurries.com/ Hitech Group of companies]. The group has a turnover of Rs. 300 crores (US $75 million) with interests in agro- and dogfood-processing, computer gaming, livestock genetics and pharmaceuticals.<ref name="business"/><ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?sectionName=&id=7676cbeb-1b06-4430-9352-3552023cb148&MatchID1=4737&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1194&MatchID2=4728&TeamID3=2&TeamID4=3&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1191&PrimaryID=4737&Headline=Abhinav%27s+parents+feeling+on+top+of+the+world&strParent=strParentID Abhinav Bindra's parents feeling on top of the world]</ref> Bindra has one sister - Divya, a fashion designer, married into the family that owns [http://www.atlascyclesonepat.com Atlas Cycles(Haryana)].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://specials.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/13sd2.htm|title=Our Son Abhinav - 'The win is just sinking in'|publisher=Rediff|date=2008-08-13|accessdate=2008-08-13}}</ref>


Bindra studied at the [[Doon School]], [[Dehradun]] till the 8th standard and then left for [http://www.ststephenschandigarh.com/ St. Stephens School], Chandigarh. He earned his [[BBA]] from the [[University of Colorado]].
Bindra studied at the [[Doon School]], [[Dehradun]] till the 8th standard and then left for [http://www.ststephenschandigarh.com/ St. Stephens School], Chandigarh. He earned his [[BBA]] from the [[University of Colorado]].

Revision as of 20:34, 13 August 2008

Abhinav Singh Bindra
File:Abhinav Bindra.jpg
Born (1982-09-28) September 28, 1982 (age 42)[1].
Dehra Dun, India
NationalityIndian
Other namesAB
CitizenshipIndian
EducationBachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
OccupationSportsman (Shooter)
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in) (As of August 2008)
Board member ofAbhinav Futuristics
Parent(s)Apjit Bindra
Babli Bindra
Abhinav Bindra
Medal record
Representing  India
Men's shooting
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Men's 10 m air rifle
ISSF World Shooting Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Zagreb Men's 10 m Air Rifle
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester Men's 10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester Men's 10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Melbourne Men's 10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne Men's 10m Air Rifle (Pairs)

Abhinav Singh Bindra (Punjabi: ਅਭਿਨਵ ਬਿੰਦਰਾ, born September 28, 1982[1]) is an Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab and is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event. By winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and the first gold medal since 1980 when the Men's Field Hockey Team won the gold.[3][4]

Early years

Bindra studied at the Doon School, Dehradun till the 8th standard and then left for St. Stephens School, Chandigarh. He earned his BBA from the University of Colorado.



Career

Bindra's potential talent was first spotted by his first coach Lt. Col. J.S. Dhillon[5][6]. Bindra was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games.[7] He scored 590 (98,99,98,97,100) placing him 11th in the qualification round, and did not qualify for the finals since only the top 8 compete in the finals.[8]

International performance

Bindra won six medals at various international meets in 2001. In the 10 m Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event.

At the 2004 Olympic Games, he scored 597 in the qualification round and was placed third behind Qinan Zhu (599 - Olympic Record) and Li Jie (598). In the finals, Abhinav finished with 97.6 points, last in the field of eight and was the only player below 100 points. His sub-par finals dropped him from third to seventh.[9]

At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, he won the Gold in the Pairs event and the Bronze in the Singles event. Abhinav missed the 2006 Asian Games at Doha because of a back injuiry.

2008 Beijing Olympics

Bindra booked his place in the 2008 Olympics by winning the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships with a score of 699.1[10]

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra won the gold for the Men's 10m Air Rifle final after shooting a total of 700.5. He scored 596 (fourth) in the qualifying round and out-scored all other shooters in the finals with a round of 104.5. In the finals, he started with a shot of 10.7, and none of his shots were below 10.0.[11] Bindra was tied with Henri Häkkinen heading into his final shot. Bindra scored his highest of the finals - 10.8 while Hakkinen came with 9.7 to settle for Bronze medal.[12]

This was India's first individual gold medal at the Olympics, and the first gold in 28 years, since the Men's Field Hockey team won the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[3] Bindra was rewarded by various Indian state governements and private organizations for his achievement. These include the state governments of Punjab - Rs 10 million (approx. $250,000),[13] Harayana - Rs 2.5 million,[13] Maharashtra - Rs 1 million,[14] Karnataka - Rs 1 million,[15] Tamil Nadu - Rs 0.5 million,[16] Madhya Pradesh - Rs 0.5 million[13] and Chattisgarh - Rs 0.5 million.[17] Other organization that rewarded Bindra includes Chandigarh civic administration - Rs 0.5 million,[13] BCCI - Rs 2.5 million,[17] Indian Railways - lifelong free pass for Bindra & one companion in First AC[17], Spicejet Airways - lifelong free flight ticket to Bindra[17] and Samsung - Rs 2 million.[18]and Bihar Government Rs.1.1 million


Abhinav's passion helped him win(article from Rediff.com)

Colonel Jagir Singh Dhillon, 74, is as amazing a sportsman as his protege Abhinav Bindra. How he shaped the destiny of India's first individual Olympic gold medallist is certainly an inspiring story.In an exclusive conversation with Editor Sheela Bhatt, the veteran coach talks about how he honed the inherent talent of the champion marksman.The first time I met Abhinav was on July 13, 1995, when he was brought to me by his father's friend, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi. You rarely get such children to train. His father, Apjit Bindra, told Sodhi, 'Yeh bachcha botlen todta rahta hai. Use shooting ka bahut shokh hai.' [This boy keeps breaking glass bottles everyday. He is very found of shooting].On that day Sodhi asked Abhinav's father, 'What level of training do you want to give him?'"I want to give him the highest levels of training; I want to make him an Olympic level sportsman," his father replied. Sodhi told Abhinav's father about me because we had gone together to participate in the Asian Games in Thailand. I have done coaching in Switzerland, Russia and America, too. I represented India thrice in the Asian Games and won many gold medals over the last 50 years. I got my first gold medal in 1953 from [late Primer Minister] Jawaharlal Nehru. Two years back I won a gold medal in Indore, in a 300-metre rifle competition.

Abhinav was hardly 13 years old when he came to me; he was such a delicate child. I was told that his father has high status in society and is very rich. I asked Sodhi, 'Will this son of a rich man work hard? Will he be able to carry the heavy rifle?'Abhinav himself answered, "Bilkul uthaoonga [surely I will lift], Sir. I am very fond of air gun shooting." Since his father insisted that his training should be of Olympic standard, I said it is easier to talk about it rather than get that high level of training. I proposed that if you want him to become an Olympic player, then first you would have to get him those weapons that are used at the Olympic Games.I told them that the weapons made in India are not of good quality; they don't have hundred percent accuracy. They asked me which rifle Abhinav should have. I told them that German-made ones are the best. In a week, senior Bindra got a German rifle for his son. I was impressed. I thought these people are quite powerful and serious about training.When I asked for an Olympic kit, they got that too in no time. Abhinav came to me in July, and in November 1995 we had district competition in Ropar. I trained him for that competition and he stood first. I gave his photographs to local journalists. His picture came in the local press. He was overjoyed to see the picture in the newspaper. After that he participated in a competition in Chandigadh and won there too.

I can only say that to become like Abhinav you must have personal interest in your game; next is personal physique. Third, you must have a good hold over your rifle. Holding of the gun is an important part of training. The next important thing is to know exactly how much pressure you should apply on the trigger. Shooting is all about the right kind of pressure on the trigger. After firing you must see where you have hit the bullet. Above all, of course, is your concentration. The shooter must have the talent to concentrate. Dimaag ek jagah per rehna chahiye [the mind should concentrate on one place].Abhinav's first national competition was in Ahmedabad, at the Rifle Club, in 1996. I went along with him and his mother. We stayed at Holiday Inn. Here Abhinav scored quite high; all the participants were astonished. Everybody asked me how could a child make such impressive scores.There is a tendency in Hindustan that whenever a newcomer surges ahead, old fellows don't like it. However, on the basis of the performance in Ahmedabad, he got sponsorship from the National Rifle Association.Then, again, Abhinav, his mother and I went to Asansol, where he won at the national level. Since then he has never looked back. He is very punctual; never comes late to my home. Rather, he comes five minutes before time. He is the only child, I have seen, from a very rich family ready to work hard. He used to sweat at my home during practice sessions.See, money is important, because money gets you good weapons. But if a child is not ready to toil, then what will you do with those costly weapons? Abhinav was disciplined, punctual and hardworking.He is quite emotional. In the last 13 years he has cried many times. What all do I remember? What all have we gone through in the last 13 years? What do I say today?While carrying his weapon he used to sweat heavily. Whenever a bullet goes waste he feels bad. After learning so much he doesn't want to shoot wrongly.At these Olympics in Beijing he used a German-made Walter L G 300 XT. His passion was unmatched. His family money helped him, but it was his passion that helped him win!


Awards and recognitions

Business career

Abhinav Bindra holds an B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration) from the University of Colorado, US.[21]

Bindra is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics - the sole distributor of Walther arms in India. Abhinav has sponsorship tie-ups with Samsung and Sahara Group.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Athlete Biography: Abhinav Bindra. The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference cleanshave was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold
  4. ^ Medalists - India, The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
  5. ^ "Abhinav Bindra win gold in Beijing". August 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Drona Awards: Has NRAI got its priorities right?". Yahoo! News. July 23. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Abhinav Bindra Profile". iloveindia.com.
  8. ^ "China grabs gold, Bindra places 11th in shooting". Rediff. 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Bindra finishes seventh". Rediff. 2004-08-16. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ ""Abhinav Bindra clinches India's first gold"". The Hindu. 2006-07-25. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ India's Bindra wins gold in the Men's 10m Air Rifle from the Official Website of Beijing Olympics
  12. ^ "Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold". Rediff. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d "After Olympic gold, cash rewards flow in for Bindra". NDTV. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  14. ^ "Deshmukh announces Rs 10 lakh cash prize to Bindra". NDTV. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  15. ^ "Karnataka announces Rs 10 lakh cash award to Bindra". The Hindu. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  16. ^ "TN govt. announces five lakh for Bindra". The Hindu. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  17. ^ a b c d "Rewards, goodies galore for Abhinav Bindra". The Economic Times. 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2008-08-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ a b Dogra, Suvi (2008-08-12). "Abhinav Bindra becomes a golden business opportunity". Business Standard.
  19. ^ List of Arjuna Award recipients in Shooting, from Sports Portal of Government of India
  20. ^ List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award recipients, from Sports Portal of Government of India
  21. ^ "Abhi-nerve cures a nation's yellow fever". The Telegraph. 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2008-08-12. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

See also

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