World champion Abhinav Bindra clinched India’s first ever individual gold medal at the Olympics, winning 10m air rifle event at the Beijing Games in Beijing on Monday.

The 25-year-old, who qualified fourth for the event, shot an overall score of (596+140.5) 700.5 in a thrilling finale which went right down to the last shot.

Bindra’s historic feat makes him India’s first-ever individual gold medallist, bettering the silver medal feat of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Athens 2004.

“He is the best shooter in the world and I think his is a morale boosting feat for everyone in the contingent,” a jubilant Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi said after Bindra’s win.

“We are all very happy. He is a very hardworking athlete. The entire shooting contingent is celebrating. We are very proud of him and it is just the beginning,” national coach Sunny Thomas said.

“Abhinav is a very calm and composed guy and doesn’t get very excited,” Thomas added.

Bindra, a Khel Ratna awardee, had earlier won the gold medal in 2002 Commonwealth Games in the pairs event and silver in the individual event.

Earlier, Gagan Narang had failed to qualify for the finals of the same event after falling short in the count-back.

The silver in the event went to Chinese Zhu Qinan (699.7) while Finland’s Henri Hakkinen (699.4) had to be content with a bronze.

Abhinav Bindra made a junior world record score of 597/600 in 2001 Munich World Cup and won bronze; gold in 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games; became the first Indian shooter to win a World Championship gold; Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001.

Abhinav Bindra is the brightest star among a new breed of talented Indian shooters. Born on September 28, 1983, Bindra is quite often criticised for not delivering on the promise he showed as a child prodigy.
Coming from an affluent family and with the luxury of an indoor range in his backyard, Bindra proved to an early bird and, at 15, was the youngest participant at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Bindra shot into limelight by winning a bronze in the 2001 Munich World Cup with a new junior world record score of 597/600.
In the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, competing in his pet Air rifle event, Bindra won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event. During a purple patch, Bindra won six gold medals at various international meets in the European Circuit in 2001. He was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2001.
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, despite breaking the Olympic record Bindra failed to win a medal. But on July 24, 2006, Bindra became the first Indian shooter to win a World Championship gold in Zagreb. Karni Singh’s silver in 1962 was the previous best by an Indian in a World Championship meet.
Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=30b43b0e-7507-4d79-a199-082ffab1750a&ParentID=7676cbeb-1b06-4430-9352-3552023cb148&&Headline=India+on+a+high%3b+Bindra+bags+first+Olympic+gold