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Abhinav Bindra

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Abhinav Bindra
Bindra in 2011
Personal information
Nationality Indian
Born (1982-09-28) 28 September 1982 (age 42)[1]
Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh, India
EducationBachelor of Business Administration
Alma mater
Occupations
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight65.5 kg (144 lb)
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service2011–present
Rank Honorary Lieutenant Colonel
Unit Territorial Army
Sport
Country India
SportShooting
Medal record
Men's shooting
Representing  India
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 – –
World Championships 1 – –
Asian Games – 1 2
Commonwealth Games 4 2 1
Total 6 3 3
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 10 m air rifle
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Zagreb 10 m Air Rifle
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne 10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi 10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow 10m Air Rifle
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester 10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Silver medal – second place 2010 Delhi 10m Air Rifle
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Melbourne 10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2010 Guangzhou 10m Air Rifle (Team)
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Incheon 10m Air Rifle (Team)
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Incheon Men's 10m Air Rifle

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-meter air rifle event, having earned those honors 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-meter 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 organization 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 honor.[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

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Early years

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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

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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 honored 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 established a new 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-meter 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 honored as the national flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. He also was given the honor 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-meter 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-meter 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-meter air rifle singles event.[26] At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he came fourth in the men's 10-meter 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

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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 organization 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) centers, the organization 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 programs. 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

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Year Event Rank Notes
Australia 2000 Sydney 10 m air rifle 11 590
Greece 2004 Athens 10 m air rifle 7 694.6
China 2008 Beijing 10 m air rifle 1st place, gold medalist(s) 700.5
United Kingdom 2012 London 10 m air rifle 16 594
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro 10 m air rifle 4 625.7/163.8

Personal life

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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

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Awards for 2008 Olympic gold medal

Bibliography

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  • Bindra, Abhinav; Brijnath, Rohit (2011). A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold. HarperCollins India. ISBN 9789350291122.

See also

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  • Sport in India – Overview of sports in India
  • Shooting sports in India
  • Shooting at the Summer Olympics

References

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  1. ^ a b "Athlete Biography: Abhinav Bindra". Beijing2008.cn. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold". rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Medalists – India". Beijing2008.cn. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008.
  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. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  7. ^ "ABFT".
  8. ^ a b "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. TOI. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 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.in. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Games Talk: Abhinav Bindra". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Schools Spotlight on Team Abhinav Bindra". news.bbc.co.uk. 8 April 2011.
  15. ^ a b Ganguly, Madhumita (12 August 2008). "Abhi-nerve cures a nation's yellow fever". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  16. ^ a b "Abhinav Bindra's parents feeling on top of the world". Hindustan Times. India. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  17. ^ a b Sharda Ugra (1 July 2016). "Abhinav Bindra's historic solo". ESPN.in. Archived from the original on 17 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. Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  21. ^ "Abhinav Bindra clinches India's first gold". The Hindu. India. 25 July 2006. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold". Rediff. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 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. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Abhinav Bindra clinches Gold in 10m Air Rifle at Glasgow Commonwealth". news.biharprabha.com. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  27. ^ "Abhinav Bindra misses out on men's 10m air rifle medal, settles for fourth position". The Indian Express. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  28. ^ Clinton, Nevin (30 October 2020). "Abhinav Bindra launches sports medicine and research institute in Bhubaneswar » FirstSportz". firstsportz.com. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Abhinav Bindra OLY joins the IOC Athletes' Commission". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Bindra appointed member of IOC's elite Athletes' Commission". insidesport.in. 9 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Bindra panel recommendations undemocratic and non-transparent, says Rajmond Debevec". ESPN.in. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2023. Three-time Olympic medallist Rajmond Debevec has criticized the ISSF and its athletes committee headed by Abhinav Bindra, for scrapping three existing events from the 2020 Olympics, arguing that the process was non-transparent, and that gender equality could have been achieved using a more democratic decision-making process.
  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. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
  34. ^ "Hitting bull's eye". Daily Pioneer. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  35. ^ Datta, Sravasti (6 November 2011). "A shot at greatness". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. 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. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Abhinav Bindra to be honorary Lt Col in Sikh Regiment". Hindustan Times. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  38. ^ "Abhinav Bindra Olympic Gold Medalist".
  39. ^ "Abhinav Bindra Olympic Gold Medalist".
  40. ^ "Honorary Degree Conferred". srmuniv.ac.in. SRM University. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Padma Awards-2009". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  42. ^ "Mary Kom And Jadav Payeng Receive Honorary Doctorate From KU". northeasttoday.in. Northeast today. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Abhinav Bindra, first Indian to be conferred with Olympic Order, receives top IOC award in Paris".
  44. ^ Agencies (19 August 2008). "Central Govt to give Abhinav Bindra 50 lakhs". Express India. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  45. ^ a b c "Shooting Star: Prizes pour in as states honour Bindra". ibnlive.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  46. ^ "BCCI chief sanctions cash award for Bindra". cricketnext.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  47. ^ "Steel Ministry undertakings announce Rs. 15 lakh cash prize to Abhinav Bindra". newindpress.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008.
  48. ^ "Karnataka announces Rs 10 lakh cash award to Bindra". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  49. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Jalandhar Edition". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  50. ^ "Deshmukh announces Rs 10 lakh cash prize to Bindra". ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Abhinav's Olympic Gold brings nostalgia to Orissa CM". orissadiary.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  52. ^ "TN announces Rs 5 lakh for Bindra". chennaivision.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008.
  53. ^ "Mittal lends a hand to India's Olympic hero". mynews.in. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  54. ^ [1] Archived 2 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

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  • Pradhan, Kunal (6 October 2014). "The unlikely hero". India Today. 39 (40): 75.
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