The Hindu : Sport / Olympic Games : This one is for Indian sports

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Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008
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Sport - Olympic Games

This one is for Indian sports

BEIJING: Lanny Bassham had studied the methods of Olympic champions after being frustrated at winning only the silver in the rifle event in the 1972 Olympics at Munich. He interviewed Olympic champions and was fascinated by his study. He developed a Mental Management system to help anyone aspiring for success.

It goes without saying that Bassham benefited himself and went on to bag the Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976.

Abhinav Bindra was a proud student of Lanny Bassham many years ago in the US, and has in fact made the guru proud, by proving him right.

Future champion

Bassham never had any doubt about his teenage ward’s ability, as he wrote in his book, ‘With winning in Mind’, before presenting it, “To Abhinav, the Future Olympic champion,” nearly a decade ago.

The point is how Bindra has been doing the right things and addressing the right issues at an early age, when the rest would be busy mastering the physical aspect of sport.

He is mentally so tough and so meticulous about everything, that he can make things happen. He understands the vagaries of sport so well that he keeps a very detached approach to it. That explains his subdued celebration, after winning the greatest match of his life, with a dream performance.

A 104.5 in the final in which every shot was a 10, showed how he had tuned himself for the climax.

He had won the World Championship in similar fashion after a 597 in the preliminary phase and was trailing in third place. That was an answer for his Olympic disappointment, as he beat the champions fair and square in Zagreb in 2006.

In the Sydney Games he was 11th with a 594, and was unlucky to be seventh in Athens following a 597. He had shot a 97.6 in the final then, owing to no fault of his.

Still in the zone

“I am still in the zone. It is a mystery to me,” he had said then.

From the depth of agony he could pull himself out and take the ‘plunge’ for another Olympic assault, because he was intelligent to stay alive to the fact that no matter what he does there will be things that would be beyond his control.

To him, there is a very thin line between being the Olympic champion and not making the final. That is why he accepts victory and defeat with grace and humility.

“I think it is a great medal for Indian sport. I hope Olympic sports in general get more attention,” he said. — Special Correspondent

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