Abhinav Bindra is a name whose mere mention fills the heart of every Indian with great pride.
The iconic Indian shooter scripted history at the 2008 Olympic games when he bagged gold in 10m air rifle shooting event, ending India's excruciating wait for an individual gold medal at the mega sporting event.
Born on September 28, 1982, the five-time Olympian started his shooting journey after drawing inspiration from the shooters he saw on TV.
Bindra, owing to his extraordinary talent, hard work and determination made his mark in the world of shooting early. The Indian shooter was picked to represent India at the 1998 Commonwealth Games when he was just 15 years old. He then went on to make his Olympics debut in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics as the youngest participant from India.
As Bindra celebrates his 40th birthday today, let's have a look at some interesting facts about his life.
Medals galore
Besides, the Olympic gold, he has also won a medal of the same colour at World Championships along with multiple medals at Commonwealth and the Asian Games.
Child prodigy
Bindra was honoured with national awards during his teens. He bagged the Arjuna Award in the year 2000 when he was just 18 and won the country's highest sporting honour, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award) award in 2001 at the age of 19.
Padma Bhushan awardee
Bindra, in his illustrious career spanning 22 years, won more than 150 medals. In recognition to this, he was bestowed with Padma Bhushan, the country's third highest civilian honour from the Government Of India in the year 2009.
Injury woes
At one point, Bindra's career was jeopardised by a back injury. After 2006, he was out for months with a career-threatening spinal injury caused due to ligament over-stretching in the lumbodorsal region. He took up a rehabilitation programme that helped reduce the strain on his spine and made some technical changes for a better posture.
Highest honour
In 2018, Abhinav was bestowed with the prestigious Blue Cross, the ISSF's highest honour.
Autobiography
Bindra's autobiography- A shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold was published in October 2011. It was released by the then Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken, at a function in New Delhi. The book went on to receive positive reviews.
'Lieutenant Colonel' Abhinav Bindra
In the year 2011, Bindra was made an honorary Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army.
Business and philanthropy
Bindra has a bachelor's degree in business and administration from the University of Colorado. He is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics Private Limited, a firm aimed at bringing science and technology into sports and healthcare sectors.
Also, under his 'Abhinav Bindra Foundation', athletes are provided access to the latest sports and high-performance physical training for free.
