To truly respect Abhinav Bindra’s art, you have to first understand the canvas he works on.
The card for a 10m air rifle target is a nine by nine cm square. The radius of the target inside it is 2.5 cm. In the centre of the target is a white dot, the size of a pinprick. A score of 10.9 is the highest achievable in the discipline. That is the score Bindra constantly strives to shoot to challenge for medals on the international stage.
Three years back, when Bindra retired from competitive shooting following the Asian Games and decided to keep himself in shape as a ‘hobby shooter’ with an eye on the Rio Games, we at SPORTS ILLUSTRATED INDIA were offered an exclusive look at India’s lone gold medallist’s training regime.
Shooting is a spiritual spectacle. If you have ever watched a shooter prepare for a shot, you understand what this means. Stillness descends upon everything around him or her. For a brief while, if you are in the presence of a shooter in motion, you reconsider drawing breath, fearing the noise it could possibly make.
The process is part ritual, part routine. When he stands at the target, weapon in hand, Bindra looks away. His mouth is at the body of the weapon. Does he speak to it? Impossible to tell. The weapon is an extension of his being.
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