MAN WHO REDEFINED OLY SUCCESS

Abhinav Bindra competed in five Olympics and became the first individual gold medallist from the country at the 2008 Beijing Games. In the process, the shooter showed what was possible. Swaroop Swaminathan speaks to the legend about his stellar career spanning over 16 years and what it takes to achieve the ultimate glory...

IF Leander Paes' Olympic medal in Atlanta started a yearning for quadrennial glory in the world's most prestigious sporting event, Beijing is where the blue touch paper was lit. In the 12 years and three Olympic cycles from Atlanta to Beijing, the glass ceiling hadn't been shattered but it was being pricked and prodded. Abhinav Bindra's medal, the first individual gold at the Games, was a black swan event. Till Beijing, ambition was limited; get to the Games. These days, the ambitions are on another planet; hosting it in the near future. Sixteen years ago, a bespectacled man changed the grammar of Olympic success. In an interview to this daily, Bindra spoke about his career, his learnings, how he changed from Olympics to Olympics and why he had a 'great closure' at the Rio Games. Excerpts:

Your experiences of shooting on an uneven surface at the Athens Olympics has been well documented. Overall, how did the whole experience of Athens change you?

It changed my approach to shooting. I became completely detached from outcomes because the experience taught me that no matter how much you put in, sometimes the result is not in your control. As an athlete, what you can focus is on being the best you can be and immerse yourself in the process of shooting. That mentality and detachment was borne out of that disappointment and failure at Athens. That changed me as a person. Going into Beijing, much was driven to a great degree of attention to detail but more than that, detachment f ro m o u t c o m e s. Much was spoken about the lack of reaction when I won... but I put that down to the detachment. For me, the greatest thrill was my ability to execute when it really mattered. It was my ability to remain in the moment... I do feel that had a significant impact on my performance and outcome (in Beijing). Life is all about failing well. Athens was a failure and it was about from experience and being prepared for every eventuality.