It has been nine years since Abhinav Bindra created history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual Olympic Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics. After India hailed the Independence, Indian athletes won five gold medals and all at Hockey. Later, there were flashes of individual brilliance as India grew more ambitious.
It is easy to forget with time. I bet most of you reading this did not know (or remember, for that matter) that it was on this very date in 2008 that Bindra achieved his feat.
Abhinav Bindra is the person who won a Gold medal that inspired a new legion of sports stars. The whole country enjoyed their best Olympic campaign in London in 2012, winning as many as six medals. The 2016 Rio Olympics saw some disappointing results but PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik saved the day for India, winning a silver and bronze respectively.
No doubt, it is a fair to say Bindra’s gold medal back in 2008 had paved the way for success in other sports. It marked the start of a revolution in Indian sports, it is no coincidence that 10 of the country’s 28 medals came since Bindra’s remarkable feat.
After nine years from Bindra won the Olympic Gold, a fan sarcastically tried to troll him by saying it was a ‘fluke’ and that Bindra should prove him wrong by winning another gold in the next Olympics.
“@Abhinav_Bindra It was a fluke… prove me wrong by winning a gold in the next Olympics,” the fan tweeted.
@Abhinav_Bindra It was a fluke… prove me wrong by winning a gold in the next olympics.
— Govinda Verma (@govinda_verma) August 11, 2017
Bindra, on his part, saw the funnier side to it and replied that although it might have been a fluke, no one can take away the gold medal from him.
Haha. But u can’t take it away from me !!! Have a great day.
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 11, 2017
Later, the fan expressed how proud he was of Bindra’s feet and thanked the ace shooter.
Thank you Sir🙏 You made us proud by ur gr8 achievement. May almighty bless you with more power to produce many other champions like you.
— Govinda Verma (@govinda_verma) August 11, 2017
At the press conference that ensued, Bindra was his as calm and composed as ever. “I can’t describe how happy I am,” he told journalists without a hint of emotion on his face. “It’s the thrill of my life. That’s about it. It’s hard to describe. I just went for it. I knew I was lying in fourth. Thankfully it went my way and I just went for it.”
After the Beijing Olympics, Bindra went on to bag the individual gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. However, he could not replicate his performance at the Olympics. In London in 2012, he lost in the qualification round, while in Rio in 2016, he finished fourth.
Let’s hope Bindra would repeat the history in the next Olympics and once again make India proud. Congratulations for your Gold Medal Anniversary and All The Best Abhinav Bindra for the next Olympics.