August 11 is the 10th anniversary of Abhinav Bindra’s Olympic gold in Beijing. Indian sport has moved forward over the last decade, but the moment remains unmatched.
Some of us who were lucky to be present at the shooting range on August 11, 2008, in China, have distinct memories of the tension before the final, and the overwhelming flow of emotions after the triumph.
“Not again” was the first thought when one noticed a ridiculously low score by Bindra on the first “sighting” shot, as the shooters were getting ready for the climax.
Bindra was trailing the leader by two points in the qualification, in those days when the qualification score was carried forward to the final.
In Athens, a dodgy wooden flooring had robbed him of an Olympic medal in 2004, when he was shooting at his very best, but returned poor scores in the final. Not again was a thought triggered in the knowledge of that background.
Scores to settle
Bindra had many scores to settle but the score on the computer, at the moment of reckoning, was devastating in Beijing.
It was bone chilling for those who understood the gravity of the situation with a 4, mocking at the dreams, on the monitor.
It was here that Bindra pulled himself up to show his supreme quality. He tuned the misbehaving rifle in moments and stayed focused on the target, forgetting that it was an Olympic final! Years of perfection took over, to put Bindra on auto-pilot. The Athens experience helped him stay detached from the results.
Bindra closed the show with a near-perfect 10.8 last shot to leave the defending champion Zhu Qinan of China 0.8 point behind, and in a flood of tears.
“The gold medal was a great moment, but in sport yesterday never counts!,” Bindra responded from Vienna on Friday, when congratulated on the golden anniversary.
Having moved on and having been entrusted with the responsibility of being a member of the Athletes Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a day earlier, Bindra said he did not like to dwell in the past.
“I don’t live in the past, but I do hope that the achievement continues to inspire Indian athletes and propel them to win their own gold medals,” Bindra said.
A champion of rare calibre, Abhinav Bindra will continue to contribute to the growth of world sports, even though his heart yearns for Indian sport to spring to life in a robust fashion.
For sure, he is the man for the moment, then and now!
