Abhinav BIndra ( INDIA ) Olympics Gold 2008 Beijing

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Source : Wikipedia

Abhinav Bindra (born September 28, 1982[1]) is an Indian shooter specializing 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 and first gold medal since 1980 for India by winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event.

Early days
Abhinav Bindra comes from an affluent Sikh[citation needed] family, belonging to the Punjabi Khatri clan[citation needed]. His parents are Dr A S Bindra and Babli Bindra.[4] .
He studied at the Doon School, Dehradun till 10th standard and then left for St. Stephens school, Chandigarh to pursue shooting along with his childhood friend Suchen[citation needed].

Career

Early years
Abhinav Bindra's potential talent was first spotted by his first coach Lt. Col. J.S. Dhillon[5][6]. Abhinav Bindra was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games.[7]

International performance
He won six gold medals at various international meets in 2001.
In the 10 m Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he broke the Olympic record but failed to win a medal finishing 7th. At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, he won the Gold in the Pairs event and the Bronze in the Singles event.

2008 Beijing Olympics
Bindra 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[8]
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.[9] Bindra was tied with Henri Hakkinen heading into his final shot. Bindra scored his highest of the finals - 10.8 while Hakkinen came with his worst performance of the finals (9.7) to settle for Bronze medal.[10]
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.[2]

Awards and recognitions
2000 - Arjuna award.[11]
2001 - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (India's highest sports award).[12]

[edit] Business career
Abhinav Bindra holds an M.B.A. (Masters in Business Administration). He is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a PC games peripherals distributor based in Chandigarh.[13]

Source : http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/5/205955.shtml
Date of Birth:
Sep 28 1982
Height(cm/ft in):
173cm / 5'8"
Gender:
Male
Weight(kg/lbs):
65 kg / 143 lbs
Place of Birth:
Dehra Dun (India)
Residence:
Chandigarh (India)
Sport:
Shooting
Event(s):
Men's 10m Air Rifle

Competition Highlights:
Note: A complete explanation of data type and depth can be found in the Additional Information section of the biography
Rank
Event
Year
Venue
Result
Olympic Games
7
10m Air Rifle
2004
Athens, GRE
694.6
World Championships
1
10m Air Rifle
2006
Zagreb, CRO
699.1
Asian Championships
4
10m Air Rifle
2005
Bangkok, THA
695.3

In an article in the HIndustan Times ;

Abhinav Bindra made a junior world record score of 597/600 in 2001 Munich World Cup and won bronze; gold in 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games; became the first Indian shooter to win a World Championship gold; Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001.
Abhinav Bindra is the brightest star among a new breed of talented Indian shooters. Born on September 28, 1983, Bindra is quite often criticised for not delivering on the promise he showed as a child prodigy.
Coming from an affluent family and with the luxury of an indoor range in his backyard, Bindra proved to an early bird and, at 15, was the youngest participant at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Bindra shot into limelight by winning a bronze in the 2001 Munich World Cup with a new junior world record score of 597/600.
In the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, competing in his pet Air rifle event, Bindra won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event. During a purple patch, Bindra won six gold medals at various international meets in the European Circuit in 2001. He was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2001.
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, despite breaking the Olympic record Bindra failed to win a medal. But on July 24, 2006, Bindra became the first Indian shooter to win a World Championship gold in Zagreb. Karni Singh's silver in 1962 was the previous best by an Indian in a World Championship meet.