Abhinav Bindra - Shooter who Changed India’s Olympic History

Abhinav Bindra is the only Indian to win an Olympic medal in shooting. Abhinav was also the youngest Indian to compete in the Olympic shooting event in 2000. Apart from being India’s most successful shooter, Bindra is also the CEO of Walther Arms. He has won multiple international events and garnered countless awards for the country. Abhinav competed in the Commonwealth Games of 1998 as the youngest competitor at the age of 15.

Fun Fact : Bindra’s parents built an indoor shooting range outside their Patiala home for him to practice better.

Abhinav Bindra Story – Early Years

Abhinav was born in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on September 28, 1982, to a wealthy Sikh family from the Mohali district to father Dr Arpit Bindra and mother, Babli Bindra. To help him, his parents built a shooting range at their house. Abhinav was only 18 years old when he competed for India in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and despite shooting the best score of 590, he did not make it to the finals.

Fun Fact : Lt. Col. Dhillon, a highly decorated WWII soldier, and Dr Amit Bhattacharjee were Bindra’s first shooting coaches after noticing his shooting abilities.

Abhinav Bindra Success Story – Education

Bindra attended the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun but afterwards transferred to the St. Stephen’s School in Chandigarh, Punjab. He graduated from high school in the year 2000. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado.

Fun Fact : In 2019, Bindra received an honorary doctorate DPhil Degree from Kaziranga University.

Abhinav Bindra Biography – Shooting Career Timeline

• Abhinav Bindra was the youngest participant at the Commonwealth Games, held in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when he was 15 years old.
• In Sydney in 2000, he was the youngest Indian athlete to compete in the Olympics.
• Bindra made his mark at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. In the 10m Air Rifle Pairs event, he took gold, while in the 10m Air Rifle Singles event, he took silver.
• His performance in the 2004 Athens Olympics was below par, as he finished last in a field of eight in the finals.
• He made history in 2006 when he won the gold medal at the ISSF World Shooting Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Bindra was the first Indian to accomplish this. Bindra won gold and bronze in the 10m Air Rifle (Pairs) and 10m Air Rifle (Singles) events at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the same year.
• Bindra’s most significant moment came in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, when he won gold in the Men’s 10m air rifle event, ending India’s 28-year gold medal drought.
• Bindra and Gagan Narang won gold in the 10m Air Rifle (Pairs) event and silver in the 10m Air Rifle event at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.
• Bindra did not qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, but he was back at his best at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In the 10m Air Rifle event, he won gold.

Abhinav Bindra Wiki – Awards & Recognition

• The Government of India awarded him the “Arjuna Award” in 2000.
• In 2001, the Government of India bestowed the “Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award” to him.
• In 2009, the Government of India bestowed upon him the third-highest civilian award in India, the Padma Bhushan.
• In 2011, the Indian Territorial Army appointed him as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel.
• He won a Gold medal in the 10 m air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
• Won a Gold medal in the 10 m air rifle event at the ISSF World Shooting Championships, held in Zagreb in 2006
• Gold medals in the 10 m air rifle event at the Common Wealth Games in 2006.
• At the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, he won two bronze medals, one in a team event and the other in a singles event.

Fun Fact: In 2018, Abhinav Bindra was awarded Blue Cross (Highest Shooting Award) by ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation).

Abhinav Bindra – Career other than Shooting

• In 2014, Abhinav joined the Board of Advisers of the “GoSports Foundation,” through which he is now actively assisting India’s future shooting stars.
• He also runs the “Abhinav Bindra Shooting Development Program.”
• Bindra was named the Goodwill Ambassador for the Indian delegation at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he also competed and finished fourth at the 10m Air Rifle event.
• Bindra has been a member of the Sports Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) since 2010.
• Following the 2016 Rio Olympics, he retired and is currently encouraging the next generation of shooters.
• He is also a successful businessman in the arms industry and runs the company “Walther Arms”.

Abhinav Bindra Biopic & Autobiography – A Shot at History

A biopic is expected to release on Abhinav’s life, and Harshvardhan Kapoor has been cast in the lead role based on the memoir, which has gotten excellent reviews. Bindra’s autobiography, A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold, was published by Harper Sport in October 2011 and was co-authored by sportswriter Rohit Brijnath. It was formally released on October 27, 2011, in New Delhi by Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken.

Abhinav Bindra – India’s Best Shooting Idol

So, this was all about Abhinav Bindra, India’s best bet on shooting. In September 2016, Bindra announced his retirement and is now training youth for shooting with this organization and NGOs. Bindra was, is, and will be the shooting star of India whose achievements in the game will be remembered always.