Abhinav BindraFrom Wikipedia The Free EncyclopediaAbhinav

Abhinav Bindra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abhinav Singh Bindra

Personal information
Nationality
India
Ethnicity
Punjabi
Born
28 September 1982 [1]
Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Residence
Zirakpur, Punjab, India
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration(B.B.A..)
Alma mater
The Doon School
St. Stephen 's School, Chandigarh
University of Colorado
Occupation
Sportsman (Shooter)
Height
173 cm (5 ft 8 in) (As of August 2011)
Weight
65.5 kg (144 lb) (As of August 2011)
Medal record
Competitor for India
Men 's shooting
Olympic Games
Gold
2008 Beijing
10 m air rifle
ISSF World Shooting Championships
Gold
2006 Zagreb
10 m Air Rifle
Commonwealth Games
Gold
2002 Manchester
10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Silver
2002 Manchester
10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Gold
2006 Melbourne
10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Bronze
2006 Melbourne
10m Air Rifle (Singles)
Gold
2010 Delhi
10m Air Rifle (Pairs)
Silver
2010 Delhi
10m Air Rifle
Gold
2014 Glasgow
10m Air Rifle
Asian Games
Silver
2010 Guangzhou
10m Air Rifle (Team)
Bronze
2014 Incheon
10m Air Rifle (Team)
Bronze
2014 Incheon
Men 's 10m Air Rifle

Abhinav Singh Bindra (born 28 September 1982, in Dehradun[1]) is an Indian shooter and is a World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event. By winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. It was also India 's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men 's Field Hockey Team won the gold.[2][3] He is the first and only Indian to have held both the World and Olympic titles at the same time, a feat he accomplished by capturing the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, after having won the gold at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships. Abhinav won Gold Medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow.
In 2014, Abhinav Bindra joined the GoSports Foundation, Bangalore as a member of their board of advisors. In collaboration with the GoSports Foundation, he will also provide support to India 's up and coming talented shooters through the Abhinav Bindra Shooting Development Programme.[4]
Contents
1 Career
1.1 Early years
1.2 Notable international performance
1.3 Business career
2 Personal life
3 Awards and recognition
4 References
5 External links
Career
Early years
Abhinav Bindra was born in the home of Punjabi Sikh family.[5] He studied at The Doon School for two years before moving to St. Stephen 's School, Chandigarh; he graduated from Stephen 's in 2000.[6][7] His parents had an indoor shooting range installed at their home in Patiala, Punjab.[8][9] His Mentor was Dr.Amit Bhattacharjee who has been closely associated with him since the beginning of his career.[10]Bhattacharjee and Lt. Col. Dhillon (who was also his first Coach) were the first ones to spot the potential in Abhinav.[11][12] Bindra was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games.[9] His current coach is a five-time Olympic shooter Gabriele Bühlmann from Basel, Switzerland, with whom he trained in Germany before the Olympics.
In the 2000 Olympics Bindra achieved a score of 590, placing him 11th in the qualification round, meaning he did not qualify for the finals since only the top eight competed in the finals.[13] After his disappointing performance, Bindra said that he had no plans to retire from shooting.[14]
Notable international performance
At 15, Abhinav Bindra became the youngest participant in the 1998 Commonwealth Games. His breakthrough, though came when he won a Bronze in the 2001 Munich World Cup with a new junior world record score of 597/600. Bindra was also the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games.
He won six gold medals at various international meets in 2001. In 2000 he was honoured with the Arjuna Award and the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2001.
In the Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event. Bindra also won Silver in the individual event.
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, despite breaking the Olympic record Bindra failed to win a medal. He scored 597 in the qualification round and was placed third behind Qinan Zhu (599 – Olympic Record) and Li Jie (598). In the finals, Abhinav finished with 97.6 points, last in the field of eight, and was the only player below 100 points. His sub-par finals dropped him from third to seventh.[15]
On 24 July 2006, Bindra became the first Indian shooter to win a World Championship gold in Zagreb. Dr. Karni Singh 's Silver in 1962 was the previous best by an Indian in a World Championship meet.
At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, he won the Gold in the Pairs event and the Bronze in the Singles event. Abhinav missed the 2006 Asian Games at Doha because of a back injury.
After these successes he started suffering from a severe back injury, so much so that he was unable to compete or even lift a rifle for a year, upsetting his preparations for the Beijing Games. However, Bindra put all speculation to rest, bringing India perhaps his biggest sporting glory ever. Bindra booked his place in the 2008 Olympics by winning the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championshipswith a score of 699.1.[16]
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra won the gold in the Men 's 10m Air Rifle event after shooting a total of 700.5. He scored 596 (fourth) in the qualifying round and out-scored all other shooters in the finals with a round of 104.5. In the finals, he started with a shot of 10.7, and none of his shots were below 10.0.[17] Bindra was tied with Henri Häkkinen heading into his final shot. Bindra scored his highest of the finals – 10.4 while Hakkinen shot 9.7 to settle for the Bronze medal.[18] It has been alleged that Abhinav Bindra 's gun was tampered with between the qualifying and final round of the event, though no official complaint was filed by the Indian contingent.[19]
This was India 's first individual gold medal at the Olympics, and the first gold in 28 years, since the men 's field hockey team won the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[2] Bindra was rewarded by various Indian state governments and private organisations for his achievement.
When the 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in New-Delhi, Abhinav Bindra got the honour of being the Indian contingent 's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. He also got the honour of taking the athletes ' oath on behalf of the 6,700 participants from 71 countries and territories on that occasion. Abhinav Bindra along with Gagan Narang shot in unison to set a Games record 1193 in 10m air rifle pair 's event for men to win the first gold for India in the 19th Commonwealth Games. The duo scored 1193 together to break their earlier record of 1189 achieved in the last Games held four years prior in Melbourne. However the Olympic Champion had to settle for silver in the individual event. His countryman Gagan Narang, who shot a perfect 600 to equal his own world record in men 's 10m individual air rifle qualification, won the Gold.
Abhinav Bindra won the Gold medal in the Men 's 10-metre Air rifle event at the 12th Asian Shooting Championships, which was held in Doha Qatar.
Abhinav Bindra lost in the qualification round in 2012 London Olympics finishing with a score of 594 placing him in 16th, though his compatriot Gagan Narang made it to the finals in 3rd place, and went on to win the bronze medal for India, thereby opening the medal tally for India in London Olympics 2012.
In 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Abhinav Bindra again won Gold in the Men’s 10m air rifle singles event.[20]
Business career
He holds a B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration) from the University of Colorado, US.[21] Bindra is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, the sole distributor of Walther arms in India. Abhinav has sponsorship tie-ups with Samsung, BSNL and Sahara Group.[8] He is also the brand ambassador by State-run Steel Authority of India Ltd. and also a member of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Sports Committee since 2010.
Personal life
HarperSport published his 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,[22] thereafter the book went on to receive good reviews.[23][24]
Awards and recognition
2000 – Arjuna award.
2001 – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (India 's highest sports award).
2009 – Padma Bhushan.[25]
2011 – Honorary Lieutenant Colonel by Indian Territorial Army
Awards for 2008 Olympics Gold medal
15 million (US$240,000) by Mittal Champions Trust
5 million (US$81,000) cash prize by Central Govt[26]
2.5 million (US$41,000) cash prize by the state government of Haryana.[27]
2.5 million (US$41,000) cash prize by the Board of Control for Cricket in India[28]
1.5 million (US$24,000) cash prize by Steel Ministry of India[29]
1.1 million (US$18,000) cash prize by the state government of Bihar. The Patna Indoor Stadium will be renamed after Abhinav Bindra.[27]
1 million (US$16,000) prize by the state government of Karnataka[30]
1 million (US$16,000) cash prize by S. Amolak Singh Gakhal, Chairman Golds Gym[31]
1 million (US$16,000) cash prize by Chief Minister of Maharashtra state[32]
500000 (US$8,100) cash prize by state government of Orissa[33]
500000 (US$8,100) cash prize by Government of Tamil Nadu[34]
100000 (US$1,600) cash prize by the state government of Chhattisgarh[27]
100000 (US$1,600) cash prize by the state government of Madhya Pradesh
A free lifetime railway pass by the Railway Ministry of India[35]
A Gold medal by the state government of Kerala.[36]
1.5 million (US$24,000) cash award by Pune Municipal Corporation.[37]

Abhinav Bindra
September 13, 2010 by The Editor Leave a Comment

Name
Abhinav Bindra
Nick Name
AB
Date of Birth
28th September 1982
Birth Place
Dehradun, India
Profession
Sportsman ( Shooter)
Height
5′ 8″
Weight
65 Kg
Nationality
Indian
Family
Father – Dr.Apjit
Mother – Babli Bindra
Sister – Divya (fashion designer)
Pets
‘Buddy’, a Saint Bernard and ‘Chhotu’, a Beagle
Coaches
Previous Coaches - Lt. Col. J.S. Dhillon, Laszlo Szuscak
Current Coaches - Gaby Buehlmann of Switzerland and Sunny Thomas
Family Name
Khatri Sikh Punjabi
Residence
He lives in a farmhouse which resembles a castle on the Zirakpur-Patiala highway near Zirakpur town in Punjab around 15 km from Chandigarhi
Education
Schooling :
* Doon School, Dehradun (Till 8th Standard)
* St.Stephens School, Chandigarh
Graduation : BBA and MBA from University of Colorado, USA
Achievements
* First Indian to win the individual gold medal in Olympic Games.
* First Indian shooter to win a World Championship Gold medal (2006)
* Youngest Indian athlete and youngest shooter (2000) at Sydney Olympics.
* Youngest participant at Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games (1998) at the age of 16.
Training
He did tough commando training in Germany for three weeks prior to the Olympics. National Sports Development Fund (NDSF) released 35 lakh rupees last December for his 90-day training stint in Germany. This included the fees for his Germany based trainer and a sports psychologist.
Olympic score
699.4 points in 10m Air Riffle shooting
Favorites
Food: Tandoori chicken
Practice field: At his own farmhouse near Chandigarh
Business
He is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, which is the sole agent of German-made Walther weapons in India, based in Chandigarh.The company plans to open offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Bhopal, Kolkata and Chennai and hopes to hit a turnover of Rs 100 crore by the year 2010.
Trust
Running Abhinav sports trust with a sole aim of churning out future champions in India
His sponsors
* Samsung
* Sahara Group
Awards
* Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, 2001 (India’s highest sports award)
* Arjuna award, 2000.
Records
* Won Gold at Olympic, 2008
* Won Gold at ISSF world shooting championships, Zagreb, 2006 (Score – 699.1)
* Won Gold (as pair) and Bronze (as single) at Commonwealth games, Melbourne (2006)
* Gold (as pair) and Silver (as single) at Commonwealth games, Manchester (2002)
Injury
His career at one stage was jeopardised by a nagging back injury. Since 2006, he was down and out for months with a career-threatening spinal injury caused due to ligament overstretching in the lumbodorsal region. He took up a thorough rehabilitation programme that helped reduce the strain on his spine and made some technical changes for a better posture
Marriage
* His mother thinks of him as “India’s most eligible bachelor”
* Abhinav does not have a girl friend and does not want to get married in the near future
Facts
* Abhinav comes from an affluent (Khatri) sikh family. His parents are promoters of the Hitech Group of companies with a turnover of Rs. 300 crores. This group has interests in agro and dogfood-processing, computer gaming, livestock genetics and pharmaceuticals.
* His sister is married into the family that owns Atlas Cycles.
* He received the gold medal from the Princess of Lichtenstein, a small country in central EuropeBindra, whose career at one stage was jeopardised by a nagging back injury.
* He Dedicated his medal to the fellow athletes.
*The family organised on its own the funds required for his training, in addition to support from the LN Mittal Champion Trust and Indian government.
* Abinav is one of the biggest beneficiaries of government support, which runs up to nearly a crore rupees.
* Within a day of his gold model, demand for air rifles suddenly hit a high in India.
* His track suit had a prancing leopard with the word Shiv Naresh inscribed below the picture. This was the sign of Delhi-based sportswear manufacturer Shiv Naresh which has clothed Indian sportspersons participating in all the mega games since 1991.
*He entered into shooting as a boy with -4 power in both eyes
Secret behind his success
“I have an air-conditioned shooting range with a totally computerised Target Transportation System of international standards”
Quote about winning the gold medal at Olympics
“Shooting is 99 per cent luck and one per cent training”
“Once I won the gold, a sort of emptiness took over my feelings. I felt like climbing a mountain and nothing more to achieve.”
About him
*His father AS Bindra:”My son has proved that ‘Singh is King’ in a real sense. He has brought laurels for the whole Sikh community and for the whole nation”
* Hakkinen (Rifle Shooter) : “He performed a very great final.”
* Manohar Singh Gill (Indian Sports Minister) : “Bindra’s performance would inspire the nation to more glory.
* Baskaran (former Indian Hockey captain): “Bindra’s gold medal is better than my team’s Moscow Olympic gold meda”
About making history at Olympics (2008)
“I was trying to concentrate on shooting well; I wasn’t thinking about making history. Being two points behind, I had to shoot good. My coach asked me to be aggressive and that is what I did.”
Blog address abhinavbindra.blogspot.com/ Aim
To became a top shooter in 10m Rifle shooting

References: September 13, 2010 by The Editor Leave a Comment Name * First Indian shooter to win a World Championship Gold medal (2006) * Youngest Indian athlete and youngest shooter (2000) at Sydney Olympics. * Youngest participant at Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games (1998) at the age of 16.