Saluting a Shooting Phenomenon

Photo Credit ::Xinhua - http://en.beijing2008.cn

Not for nothing did Geet Sethi India's billiards legend launch the Gold Quest, the search of an Olympic gold along with badminton legend Prakash Padukone. Sethi knows how Indians can excel in sports where you have to shoot at a stationary object. They have the back-up of yoga and concentration.

In cue sports it is the ball, it shooting it is the bull's eye. Abhinav Bindra has vindicated Sethi's idea which has benefited the other shooter who competed alongside Bindra, Gagan Narang in the 10m air rifle event in which he won gold to make history for India. Thanks to Bindra, India's Independence Day celebrations, set for August 15, were advanced.

Among those who paid tribute to Bindra was Lata Mangeshkar. She said she knew from first hand how tough shooting is as she had tried her hand at it along with brother Hridaynath at her home Kolhapur which has a tradition for shooting with Deepali Deshpande, who was at the Athens Games, hailing from there. She said it is a great feeling when one hits the target and she congratulated Abhinav for doing India proud and praising his efforts and how strange that he had done this at a young age.
 

Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi said: "In a cricket-mad country Bindra's feat will move our kids to Olympic sports."

Then came his  parents. Father AS Bindra said: "India has proved it. He had a passion for shooting, fiddling with guns. When he was five he would place a balloon on the head of his maid and shoot them. We were fearing that a problem would be created if he missed the mark the maid could get hurt. But he always shot the balloon. He is always cool, never moved by media and publicity. He is a silent killer, silent worker."
 

Abhinav's mother said: "Before he left I told him 'you and mamma know that you can win gold,' I will visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar before going to Delhi on August 14 to receive him."
 

PT Usha who could have been the first Indian Olympic individual gold winner, being fourth in the 400 meters hurdles at Moscow, said: "He took to  the sport at a young age. I had written in my column that he can win gold. But it is sad that we will spend the next two months celebrating and then forget. I saw a few months ago that our shooters were not getting enough ammunition for training. That's India, one hopes this is not repeated."
 

Praise began coming in and Bindra  he was being hailed as 'The Ice Man' like Bjorn Borg, the tennis legend who was a picture of composure always. Bindra was also cool hardly betraying any emotion as the National anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was played at the medal ceremony.
 

Anjali Bhagwat, women's rifle shooter, who lost on the first day said: "I have traveled with him seeing his hard work. This is our medal." She spoke for a huge shooting family which has a great tradition. Rajyvardhan Rathore's silver medal at Athens Olympiad have Indian shooting a shot in the arm.
 

As Anjali Bhagwat said: "We had won all events World Cup, Commonwealth, World Championship, only the Olympic gold was remaining. Now Bindra has got it. India is on top of the shooting world."
 

Pradeep Vijayakar :: Monday 11 August 2008