Abhinav Bindra

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Abhinav Bindra (born 28 September 1982) is an Indian former sport shooter and a businessman.[1] He is an Olympic gold medalist as well as the first and one of only two Indians to win an individual Olympic gold medal.[2][3] Bindra is also the first Indian to have held concurrently the World and Olympic titles for the men's 10-metre air rifle event, having earned those honours at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2006 World Championships. Bindra has won seven medals at the Commonwealth Games and three medals at the Asian Games.

With more than 150 medals in his 22-year career, he is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India[4] and is one of the top influencers of sport policy in the country.[5]

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bindra finished fourth in the finals of the 10-metre air rifle event. He also served as a goodwill ambassador for the Rio 2016 Olympics Indian contingent, having been appointed to that post by the Indian Olympics Association (IOA). On 5 September 2016, he announced his retirement.[6] Bindra's primary outreach to Indian sports is through the Abhinav Bindra Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works to integrate sports, science, and technology into Indian sports and encourage high-performance physical training.[7]

In 2018, Abhinav was bestowed with the prestigious Blue Cross, the ISSF's highest honour.[8][9] He is also currently a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission.[10] Bindra carried the Olympic torch at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[11]

Career

Early years

Bindra was born in Dehradun in Uttarakhand, to a Punjabi Sikh Khatri family.[12][13] He was educated at the Doon School in Dehradun and at St. Stephen's School in Chandigarh.[14] He studied business administration at the University of Colorado Boulder.[15] Determined to train with the best possible facilities, which were then not available in India, he would train for prolonged periods in Germany,[16] where he was coached by Gaby Buhlmann.[17]

Notable international performances

At the age of 15, Bindra was the youngest participant in the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He was also the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. At the 2000 Olympics, he achieved a score of 590, placing him 11th in the qualification round. With that score, he was not able to qualify for the finals. He was also honoured with the Arjuna Award that year.[18]

In international competitions, he won his first medal, a bronze, at the 2001 Munich World Cup with a new junior world record score of 597/600. He won six gold medals at various international meets that year and received the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, India's highest sports award. In the air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he finished with gold in the pairs event and silver in the individual event.[19]

In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he broke the previous Olympic record but did not win a medal. He scored 597 in the qualification round and placed third, preceded by Qinan Zhu (599, a new Olympic record) and Li Jie (598). In the finals, Abhinav finished with 97.6 points, last in the field of eight; he was the only player with less than 100 points and dropped to the seventh position.[20]

After these successes, a severe back injury incapacitated him and he was unable to lift a rifle for a year, interrupting his preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Bindra returned to compete and won the title at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships with a score of 699.1, qualifying him for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[21]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Bindra won the men's 10-metre air rifle event, shooting a total of 700.5.[17] He scored 596 in the qualifying round, finishing fourth, and outscored all other shooters in the finals with a round of 104.5. In the finals, he started with a shot of 10.7, and all others never dipped below 10.0.[22] Bindra was tied with Henri Häkkinen heading into his final shot. Bindra scored his highest of the finals – 10.8 – while Hakkinen shot 9.7 to settle for the bronze medal.[23][2]

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Bindra was honoured as the national flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. He also was given the honour of taking the athletes' oath on behalf of the 6,700 participants from 71 countries and territories. Bindra, along with Gagan Narang, shot in unison to set a games record of 1,193 points in the 10-metre air rifle pairs event for men to win India's inaugural gold medal at the 19th Commonwealth Games. He brought home a silver medal in the individual event.[24]

Bindra won the gold medal in the men's 10-metre air rifle event at the 12th Asian Shooting Championships, held in Doha, Qatar.[25] He lost in the qualification round at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, finishing in the 16th place with a score of 594. In the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Bindra again won gold in the men's 10-metre air rifle singles event.[26] At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he came fourth in the men's 10-metre air rifle singles event after losing a shoot-off for the top 3 to Serhiy Kulish, who eventually won the silver medal.[27]

Business career

Bindra has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Colorado.[15] Bindra is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics Private Limited, an organisation that works to bring science and technology into the sport and healthcare sectors. With ABTP, a group of sports science and advanced physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) centres, the organisation has served more than 5,000 athletes and medical patients. Under the Abhinav Bindra Foundation, a non-profit initiative, athletes are provided access to the latest sports technology and high-performance physical training for free.[16] Many athletes from sports such as swimming, badminton, boxing, and para-athletics have benefited from the foundation's various programmes. In 2020, he launched the Abhinav Bindra Sports Medicine and Research Institute at Bhubaneswar with the mission of bringing Global Best Practice to the Indian Healthcare and Sports Medicine Sector.[28]

Since his retirement, Bindra has been involved with the TOP Scheme, one of India's most significant policies for athlete development. He was a member of the ISSF Athlete Committee from 2010 to 2020, serving as Chair from 2014, and was appointed to the IOC Athlete Commission in 2018.[29][30] In these roles he has worked for the development of athletes through mental health, financial stability, and entrepreneurship initiatives. In 2017 whilst Chair of the ISSF Athletes Committee, Bindra was criticised for approving the removal of three events from the Olympic programme in what was described as an undemocratic and un-transparent manner.[31] Bindra's net worth is estimated to be around $10 million.[32]

Summer Olympics

Year Event Rank Notes
Template:Flagicon 2000 Sydney 10 m air rifle 11 590
Template:Flagicon 2004 Athens 10 m air rifle 7 694.6
Template:Flagicon 2008 Beijing 10 m air rifle Template:Gold01 700.5
Template:Flagicon 2012 London 10 m air rifle 16 594
Template:Flagicon 2016 Rio de Janeiro 10 m air rifle 4 625.7/163.8

Personal life

Harper Sport published Bindra's autobiography, A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold, which he co-authored with sportswriter Rohit Brijnath in October 2011. It was formally released by Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken on 27 October 2011, at a function in New Delhi.[33] The book received positive reviews,[34][35] and Harshvardhan Kapoor has been cast for the lead role in a future biopic based on the memoir.[36]

Abhinav Bindra Coaching

Bindra belongs to a Sikh family and a descendant of legendary warrior Hari Singh Nalwa, who was commander-in-chief of the Sikh army during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign.[37]

Awards and accolades

Awards for 2008 Olympic gold medal

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ↑ Athlete Biography: Abhinav Bindra. Beijing2008.cn. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold. rediff.com. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  3. ↑ Medalists – India. Beijing2008.cn. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.
  4. ↑ Bindra gets Padma Bhushan; Padma Shri for Dhoni, Bhajji, Advani. The Times of India(25 January 2009). Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. ↑ 'Privilege to pursue my dream,' says Abhinav Bindra as he receives prestigious Olympic Order.
  6. ↑ A legend rides into the sunset – Olympian Abhinav Bindra retires. sportscafe.in(5 September 2016). Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  7. ↑ ABFT.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Raninder and Bindra get awards. The Hindu(30 November 2018). Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  9. ↑ Abhinav Bindra becomes first Indian to get highest shooting. The Times of India(30 November 2018). Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Athletes' Commission. Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee(3 September 2021). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  11. ↑ Abhinav Bindra selected as torchbearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Times of India(2 February 2024).
  12. ↑ Will Abhinav again hit the bulls eye at CWG?. Oneindia.
  13. ↑ Games Talk: Abhinav Bindra. The Times(21 April 2012). Alt URL
  14. ↑ Schools Spotlight on Team Abhinav Bindra. news.bbc.co.uk(8 April 2011).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Abhi-nerve cures a nation's yellow fever. The Telegraph(12 August 2008). Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Abhinav Bindra's parents feeling on top of the world(11 August 2008). Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Abhinav Bindra's historic solo. ESPN.in(1 July 2016). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Shooting Sport at the Olympics: Bindra earns first individual Olympic gold for India four years after Athens 2004 heartbreak.
  19. ↑ Shooting Sport at the Olympics: Bindra earns first individual Olympic gold for India four years after Athens 2004 heartbreak.
  20. ↑ Bindra finishes seventh. Rediff.com(16 August 2004). Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  21. ↑ Abhinav Bindra clinches India's first gold(25 July 2006). Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  22. ↑ India's Bindra wins gold in the men's 10m air rifle. Beijing2008.cn. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  23. ↑ Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold. Rediff(11 August 2008). Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  24. ↑ Abhinav Bindra won Gold medal in Men's 10m Air Rifle at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. jagranjosh.com(26 July 2014). Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  25. ↑ Abhinav Bindra wins gold in Asian Shooting Championship. The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co.(13 January 2012). Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  26. ↑ Abhinav Bindra clinches Gold in 10m Air Rifle at Glasgow Commonwealth. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  27. ↑ Abhinav Bindra misses out on men's 10m air rifle medal, settles for fourth position(8 August 2016). Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  28. ↑ Abhinav Bindra launches sports medicine and research institute in Bhubaneswar » FirstSportz, Clinton, Nevin. firstsportz.com(30 October 2020). Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. ↑ Abhinav Bindra OLY joins the IOC Athletes' Commission. Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee(10 August 2018). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  30. ↑ Bindra appointed member of IOC's elite Athletes' Commission. insidesport.in(9 August 2018). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  31. ↑ Bindra panel recommendations undemocratic and non-transparent, says Rajmond Debevec. ESPN.in(1 March 2017). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  32. ↑ Meet India's 1st Olympic gold medalist turned successful entrepreneur.
  33. ↑ Maken formally launches Abhinav Bindra's biography. The Times of India(27 October 2011).
  34. ↑ Hitting bull's eye. Daily Pioneer(19 November 2011). Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  35. ↑ A shot at greatness. The Hindu(6 November 2011). Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  36. ↑ Harshvardhan Kapoor excited to play Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, shares photo with sports star. indianexpress.com(6 September 2017). Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  37. ↑ Abhinav Bindra to be honorary Lt Col in Sikh Regiment. Hindustan Times(2011-09-17). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Abhinav Bindra Olympic Gold Medalist.
  39. ↑ Honorary Degree Conferred. srmuniv.ac.in. SRM University. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  40. ↑ Padma Awards-2009. pib.nic.in. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  41. ↑ Mary Kom And Jadav Payeng Receive Honorary Doctorate From KU. northeasttoday.in. Northeast today(14 January 2019). Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  42. ↑ Abhinav Bindra, first Indian to be conferred with Olympic Order, receives top IOC award in Paris.
  43. ↑ Central Govt to give Abhinav Bindra 50 lakhs. Express India(19 August 2008). Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Shooting Star: Prizes pour in as states honour Bindra. ibnlive.com. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  45. ↑ BCCI chief sanctions cash award for Bindra. cricketnext.com. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  46. ↑ Steel Ministry undertakings announce Rs. 15 lakh cash prize to Abhinav Bindra. newindpress.com.
  47. ↑ Karnataka announces Rs 10 lakh cash award to Bindra. The Hindu(11 August 2008). Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  48. ↑ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Jalandhar Edition. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  49. ↑ Deshmukh announces Rs 10 lakh cash prize to Bindra. ndtv.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  50. ↑ Abhinav's Olympic Gold brings nostalgia to Orissa CM. orissadiary.com. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  51. ↑ TN announces Rs 5 lakh for Bindra. chennaivision.com.
  52. ↑ Mittal lends a hand to India's Olympic hero. mynews.in. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  53. ↑ Template:Usurped

Further reading

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