Who is Abhinav Bindra?
Abhinav Bindra is an ace Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Punjab and the first Indian to ever win an individual Olympic gold medal. He currently holds the world and Olympic champion title for the 10 m Air Rifle event. This is where a 4.5 mm rifle is shot at a distance of 10 metres away from a circular target.
Where did he grow up?
Abhinav was born on 28th September 1982 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He is from a prosperous Sikh family from the Mohali district and travelled from the satellite city to attended St. Stephen’s School in neighbouring Chandigarh. He developed an interest in the sport in school and soon fell in love with it. His parents set up a shooting range at their home in order to support him. His shooting skills were first noticed by Lt. Col. Dhillon, the highly decorated WWII veteran, who became Bindra’s first shooting coach. Abhinav was just 18 years old when he represented India in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and although he shot a high score of 590, it was not enough to qualify for the finals.
What are some of his achievements?
- He has been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and the Arjuna Award by the government of India.
- At 15, he was the youngest participant at the 1998 Commonwealth games.
- In 2006, he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Championship.
- He is the first and only Indian to have held both the World and Olympic shooting titles at the same time.
Abhinav Bindra’s Events –
- Men’s 10m Air Rifle – Individual
- Men’s 10m Air Rifle – Pairs
Find out how shooters are scored in the 10M Air Rifle event.
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