“I think in the years to come we will have more success” hopes Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra, a legendary shooter and India’s only individual Gold-Medalist at the Olympics, thinks that it is only a matter of time before India gets another individual gold medallist at the Games.

Bindra has won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He says that he was hoping to see more individuals winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics which have been postponed to next year due to coronavirus pandemic.

Bindra said on a Facebook page that, “I was certainly hoping that come July-August this year I would not remain the only one. I think it is a matter of time before we win more golds. A lot of young athletes are doing really well in different sports. I do hope that the athletes remain motivated, continue to train and remain focussed for the Games which will now be held in July 2021.”

He added by saying, “What I would like to see in our country is more people playing sports just for the sheer joy of it and the health benefits that come with it. When that starts to happen we will have more people in elite sport.”

Bindra is a former rifle shooter and who has been retired. Now, he is an Indian businessman. He is a receiver Padma Vibhushan Award. He has won over 150 medals in 21 years of career.

He also said, “A strong grassroot programme (is not just) about giving young kids the requisite infrastructure but also the right knowledge. At that level, it is critical that the foundation of young kids is set really strong and I think in the years to come we will have more success and more involvement in sports. Sports is the next big thing coming out of this country.”

He also revealed about his hard time that, “I have failed a lot of times in my life. But the most difficult moment in my sporting career was actually when I succeeded. When I won the gold medal at the Olympic Games, it was the biggest moment of my life but it also left a void where I didn’t know what do with myself.”

“For me looking back at my 21-year career in the sport, that period post-Beijing was the most difficult time. Of course, there were failures and adversities but you accept that as a challenge and move ahead but when this void suddenly hit me for a while, that was when I was at my lowest ebb,” he added.

He also said that how did he overcome from his hard time. He said, “However, I overcame with the support of my family, coaches and with time. That is the most important thing, sometimes you feel hopeless but it is about being patient and persevering through it. And then, the sun starts shining again.”