New Delhi: His rewriting of India's Olympic history has been retold several times but that, surprisingly, is not Abhinav Bindra's favourite moment of his illustrious career.
Known for his never-ending quest for perfection in anything and everything he does, Bindra experienced his ultimate sporting high on a cold December day, having performed a hundred pushups during a training session prior to competition.
And not on that balmy August evening in Beijing eleven summers ago, to the surprise of many who speak of his Olympic glory with great pride.
"My favourite sports moment came away from the flashbulbs and when nobody was watching me. It happened one training day, it was 31st of December... one of the years I was competing.
"It was a physical training session and it was very cold and I had to do a hundred pushups and my trainer, after I had performed 95, miscounted and said that you are done for the day. I said 'no, I have five more to go'. So, I think it is the honesty to one's goal that gives us the results," Bindra said.
India's first and only individual Olympic gold medallist till date, Bindra spoke following the completion of the 17th HCL International Bridge Championship on Saturday.
To the participants of the bridge tournament, the champion shooter said, "Win or lose you will always have the self respect and that will be the biggest prize of all. I am sure that all of you have that in mind.
"This is probably an appropriate time to tell you little bit about my sports career and my favourite moment in my sports career..."
Bindra, who has grown 11 years older since winning the historic medal in the Chinese capital, is hopeful that a few will join him in the gold club in the near future.
Since retiring from shooting, Bindra has set up a never-seen-before High Performance Training centre in India for elite athletes that boasts of cutting edge equipments. It has immensely benefitted India's athletes.
During his address following the conclusion of the bridge tournament, the 36-year-old Bindra, on a lighter note, said, "Given the prize money in this championships and looking at my struggling career, I am tempted to give your sport a shot.
"The turnout has been increasing year after year. And I know the Asian Games medals have been the catalyst to inspire individuals to play bridge."
