Abhinav Bindra
About
Epitomising insane levels of concentration and dedication whilst focusing solely on the bulls-eye, Abhinav Bindra stands as an athlete who has time and again redefined Indian sporting history. A World champion shooter & Olympic gold-medalist, Abhinav Bindra came to light when he won a Bronze in the 2001 Munich World Cup.
He showed an interest in shooting from an early age and to support his interest his parents got a shooting range installed at their home in Patiala, Punjab.
Success soon came his way as he went to the 1998 Commonwealth Games as a 15-year-old and then travelled to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as the youngest Indian participant.
Bindra soon climbed the ladder of success. Six gold medals in 2001 alone earned him the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award from the Indian government.
After retiring from the sport, Bindra turned his attention to the field of business as he obtained a BBA degree from the University of Colorado and was awarded two honorary doctorate degrees in literature and philosophy by the SRM and Kaziranga Universities.
Abhinav Bindra is currently the CEO of the non-profit Abhinav Bindra Foundation which works to provide athletes with the latest sports training technology and ABTP, a facility for Physical Excellence.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
He is the first & only Indian to have held both the World & Olympic titles at the same time, a feat he accomplished by capturing the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing & the Gold at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championship.
Recipient of the Arjuna Award and the youngest recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Abhinav Bindra was also conferred with India’s 3rd highest civilian award, The Padma Bhushan, in 2009. He was also honoured with the title of ‘Honorary Lt. Col.’ in the Territorial Army. For his exceptional services to the Sport of shooting, he was awarded with the Blue Cross in 2018 by the International Shooting Sport Federation, which is the ISSF’s highest honour.
Why ABHINAV BINDRA?
Abhinav Bindra’s journey to becoming the first Indian to win an individual Olympic Gold as well as the World Championship is an example of a single-minded quest for perfection. He has even released his autobiography titled ‘A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold’ detailing his training methods and constant drive to win.
A Bollywood biopic is also currently in the works which will showcase the career of the ace shooter with actor Harshvardhan Kapoor playing the lead role.
Having won more than 150 medals spanning a career of 22 years, he is one of the top influencers of sport policy in the country.
As an inspirational icon, Abhinav Bindra makes for an impactful speaker who can talk about the role of perseverance and precision to achieve success while conquering self-doubt. He is also an advocate for the mental health of athletes.
