Finally….Abhinav Bindra and nation of 1.2 billion people booked his place in the 2008 Olympics by winning the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships with a score of 699.1
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra won the gold for the Men's 10m Air Rifle final 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. Bindra was tied with Henri Hakkinen heading into his final shot. Bindra scored his highest of the finals - 10.8 while Hakkinen came with 9.7 to settle for Bronze medal.
This was India's first individual gold medal at the Olympics, and the first gold in 28 years, since the Men's Hockey team won the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
That could be a golden coincident that, the first gold medal to be awarded at the Los Angeles Olympics 1984 was the first medal to be won by an athlete from China when Xu Haifeng won in the shooting itself. That was a 50 m Pistol event, and Bindra won in 10m Air Rifle.
China won the first gold medal in 1984 LA Olympics, and in 2008 Beijing Olympics till the time I am writing this blog China is leading with 9 gold and total 14 medals. Korea is second with 4 Gold and total 8 medals and US at third position with 3 gold and total 12 medals. No need to say the pain, the determination, the dedication behind making a dream true. It does remind me the John F. Kennedy, who challenged the US people to go to the moon — and they went.
Every long journey starts with but a single step. India is wonderful and powerful nation of some 1.2 billion people. We have the example of nation like China…so Dream for a day like China has…. The golden journey is just started with Abhinav Bindra…India will have thousands of Abhinav soon…
