Best Olympic Moments No.1: Abhinav Bindra’s gold in 2008 Beijing creates a revolution

Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10m air rifle created a revolution in the country and he forever etched his name in the history books.

Abhinav Bindra won the Gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Image credit: Team India Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jul 23, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

It took meticulous planning. The training involved plenty of commando work. Everything from the walk to a real-life atmosphere was rehearsed. There was heartbreak in 2004 Athens when he missed a chance for a medal. But, on August 11th, 2008, when Abhinav Bindra stood on the top step of the podium, it had given India the ultimate crowning glory. 1.3 billion Indians stood and faced the world with pride. In the entire history of India, Abhinav Bindra forever etched his name as the country’s first individual gold medal winner. But, in the words of the great man himself, Bindra said that he felt a ‘powerful, inner peace’ within himself.

The achievements of Bindra kickstarted a revolution in shooting in India. Investment and upgradation of technology were multi-fold. It is because of the brilliance of Abhinav Bindra and before him, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, that shooting in the Olympics became our most bankable asset. The efforts 13 years ago saw shooting become one of our ultimate medal hopes heading into Tokyo 2020.

Bindra and the challenge of four years

Abhinav Bindra was winning gold at the Commonwealth Games at the 2002 and 2006 games in Manchester and Melbourne. But, it was the Olympic gold that he was gunning for. In 2004, he narrowly missed out on a medal. Stung by the setback, Bindra decided to head to Germany to hone his skills. Under coaches Heinz Reinkemeier and Gabriele Buhlmann, Bindra honed his shooting skills. But, it was his equation with Uwe Riesterer that transformed his mindset.

Big game pressure was something that was plaguing Indian athletes. Milkha Singh in Rome 1960, PT Usha in 1984 Los Angeles, and many athletes had missed the medal due to big-game pressure. Bindra was aware of what was needed. Riesweter ensured that the setting was as real as possible. There were real-life announcements, the scenario was as real on the shooting range as possible. It was akin to pilots getting trained to fly in real-life situations via simulators. This was in all in the period of 2004 to 2008.

For four years, Bindra rehearsed all this. It was about to be tested in the Beijing Olympics in 2008

Bindra and the glory of 2008

In the 10m air rifle event, Bindra was going to go all out. Big match pressure was in control. He had walked to the arena in total confidence. All the pain was overcome. In the aftermath of Athens 2004, he had suffered a severe back injury that resulted in him not lifting a rifle for one year. But, in the prime of his confidence and with tremendous fitness, he was in great form.

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. Bindra was tied with Henri Hakkinen. Heading into his final shot, the Indian scored his highest of the finals – 10.8. Hakkinen shot 9.7 to settle for the bronze medal.

Bindra had finally done it. History was created. The first individual gold medal winner from India had finally arrived. After the win, he recollected on the Olympic channel website on what he felt moments after winning the gold medal.

“Relief flooded my brain. It’s the first emotion that releases as four years of investment have been validated. Then exhaustion settles in the bones, satisfaction embraces you and for a second even ecstasy comes. Those 10 shots, were magical. Stability, timing, execution, they were the best shots of my life I knew. I could not shoot better,” Bindra said.

The revolution created by Bindra

The win created a revolution in India. Finally, India could count itself as one of the elite nations to have athletes who have individual gold medals. Bindra was in fine form, winning the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal to have a perfect record. In the Asian Games, he came very close to a gold in 2014 Incheon but had to settle for silver.

After two bronze medals in the same Asiad, Bindra tried his luck in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He shot brilliantly, but the other shooter was in his elements. Bindra missed out on a medal by a whisker. It was a matter of inches and centimeters. But, Bindra had cemented his legacy as one of the best in the business.

The likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, Rahi Sarnobet, Anjum Moudgil, and Manu Bhaker are medal hopefuls in Tokyo 2020. All the success is due to the exploits of Abhinav Bindra in 2008. It has to be there as one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport in India.