Commonwealth Games 2014: Abhinav Bindra signs off on a golden note

Abhinav Bindra (centre) poses with the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle event.

Abhinav Bindra-First individual gold at CWG

Abhinav Bindra created a space for himself in the books of Indian sports history on Friday. And he finished yet another chapter of his career on a high. Although his career had very little blanks to fill, it felt accomplished yesterday. The 31 year old Bindra won his 5th gold in his 5th CWG, but the first individual one after 3 gold in 10m Air Pistol Pairs and one in 50m rifle 3-positions.

Before Bindra created history, 16 year old Malaika Goel made a stunning debut with a silver medal. However, most was expected out of her favored teammate, Heena Sidhu, former no 1 but now no 4. She ended up in seventh place in the final.

For Bindra it all started in Kuala Lumpur, 16 years ago. That journey got a fairy tale ending with a gold medal at the Barry Buddon Shooting range on Friday. Ravi Kumar was quite consistent for the first 12 rounds, when he suddenly slipped to no 4 and out of contention for a medal. Bindra has won 9 medals in a commonwealth games career that started in 1998 when he was 15 years old.

A true inspiration

He used the social media to inform people that this commonwealth games will be his last one, although his schedule is jam packed with other assignments. Winning is an emotional moment for many, but for Bindra it was just another win but an important one at that. He hardly displayed any emotions, he just walked out of the range with a simple smile and a satisfied look. He proved why he’s considered as one of the best in the business.

He looked calm, composed and concentrated hard as he claimed victory in the 10m Air Rifle event. Both the Indians, Ravi and Bindra were fighting hard and had leveled scores at one point in time, but at the end the Golden Boy stole the show.

All these years Bindra followed just one slogan which is also highlighted on his official website. “"I believe in an athlete’s life, winning is important, but, the journey is more meaningful. The constant pursuit towards overcoming one’s own limitations and always challenging the part of you that says you will not or cannot win. I am convinced that everybody has, at some time in their life, faced an equivalent. Something that feels insurmountable. My, perhaps unsolicited, advice is to enjoy the ride. Let’s face it, roller coasters are far more thrilling than merry go rounds."

His Achievements

His exceptional achievements in shooting has bought accolades to the country right from his first win in the year 1995 at the Ropar district shooting championship. He is one of the youngest Indians to have won Arjuna Award at the age of 17 and a recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award which is considered to be the highest sporting honor in the country at the age of 18.

Abhinav Bindra and MS Dhoni were conferred to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army

Apart from that, he is also been adorned with Padma Bhusan, the 3rd highest civilian honor in 2009 after he created history by winning gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. In 2011, he was conferred with the honorary rank of Lt Colonel by the Territorial Army.

Abhinav Bindra, who is now an inspiration to many, has not become successful overnight. His entire journey comprises of hard work, passion and dedication.

Abhinav Bindra remains calm under pressure

His shooting journey will never come to an end because he believes“All my life shooting has been a struggle. A contest with the self. Every ten has been a battle, every performance has demanded that I look within for an answer. To win, one needs an internal rage, desperation, a hardness and eventually I became a shooter who relishes a fight.”