Beijing Olympics gold medallist and India’s ace shooter Abhinav Bindra missed to qualify for the medal round of 10m air rifle by a whisker but the champion showed the resolve of a fighter and bowed out with his head held high.
According to a report in The Hindu, the former World and Olympic champion made a vibrant attack on the medals in the men’s air rifle final, but the sub-10 shots caught up with him at the crunch, as Bindra was beaten in the shoot-off for a medal and placed fourth at the Deodoro Olympic Shooting Range on Monday. “Tied on 163.8 after 16 shots with the eventual silver medallist Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine, Bindra shot a 10.0 to the 10.5 by Kulish. Bindra walked away from the scene, for one last time, to his coach Heinz Reinkemier, and tried to glance at the audience to gauge the impact of his elimination. Quite interestingly, Gaby Buehlmann of Switzerland who had coached Bindra to the gold during the Beijing Games, was with Niccolo Campriani of Italy this time, and the silver medallist of the London Games graduated to the gold,” says the report.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Abhinav Bindra had come to Rio in April this year to figure out the precise nuances of the venue for the Olympic 10m air rifle final. “The man who has worked on his craft with the diligence of a scientist made sure that he went home and replicated the Rio environs at his home range. The light here is different between the qualifying and the final halls. Bindra had made a special sight to ensure that the light would not impact his shooting. This morning he came to the range and put his gun on a table. Like many a thing at venues here, the table collapsed. The special sight broke and India’s only individual Olympic gold winner had to hastily fix another sight that he had last used back in India,” says the report, adding that Bindra is not a man for excuses.
“He did not share this information with waiting reporters; HT got it from a member of the support staff. Whether that sight made for the percentile difference that makes or mars a medal at the Olympics is a matter of speculation. You’re not going to hear Bindra moaning about it. But it appears that the hopes of a billion were dashed for a table collapsed,” says the report.
According to a report in The Times Of India, Abhinav Bindra's body language belied any emotions whatsoever on what was the final day of an illustrious career as he made it clear that he was done with aiming bull's eye and ready to move to the next phase of his life although he does not know what it is.
"It is my job to be composed. I do not want to break down in front of you. I knew this was coming and I am at peace with it. I did my best but ended up fourth. No medal but very close. Had a good day, but it didn't pay off," Bindra told reporters after the end of the event at Rio Olympics.
Soon to be 34, Bindra maintained that there's no chance of entering the shooting range again.
"I am done, I have announced my retirement, so there is no reconsideration. I am not going to shoot again. This is it. I support youngsters already. I support 30 young shooters through my foundation. I will try and do the best I can," the ace marksman added.
