Since 2008, August 11 has been a landmark date for Indian sports lovers. If you need to be prompted, recall the massive Olympic Games gold medal gunned down by Abhinav Bindra with his air rifle. A whirlpool of emotions comes back to the mind as we celebrate 17 years of his historic effort in Beijing. The page remains colourful, refusing to acquire sepia tones.
We were taught, as sports writers to be impassionate and not be a fan. That is easier said than done, for watching India win her first ever individual Olympic medal at the Summer Olympics did led to tears of joy. Those who ask ‘What’s the big deal? We have won more medals,’ must be reminded not to be cynical.
Beijing 2008 was an era when social media was small, FB was most popular. News breaks were through wire services and TV channels. I remember being jolted even as I settled in the Media Tribune ahead of the final. Laptop open, pen and paper ready, eyes fixed on the shooting lane and the electronic scoreboard.
My dear friend from Doordarshan, Bhakku ji came rushing and said “Get up and come with me.” The final was a few minutes away. And I was perplexed why was producer sought to drag me away. He ushered me into the Doordarshan commentary booth, where my old friend, Manjushree Roy was already in. Expectations of a medal from AB was realistic and I was blissfully unaware I was ‘calling’ the gold medal live.
For a media person like me, this was the biggest piece of Olympic history I could ever be a part of. Just after the final and celebrations had begun in Beijing, New Delhi and elsewhere, I had to return to my main task of reporting for my newspaper, Mail Today. News room bosses are demanding, they wanted more than three stories from me, and I had not even absorbed what I had seen with my own eyes, an Olympic gold medal won by an Indian.
Anyway, August 8 will always remain special and fresh in memory. Abhinav the champion and impact has had had on Indian sport with that gold. A medal for the nation, what with a gamut of officials and also the then Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr MS Gill and IOC Member Raja Randhir Singh were among those seen with AB.
Each one of us has an own story but the biggest story is of AB having dreamt and winning an Olympic medal. Sydney in 2000 was his Olympic debut, and he was not supposed to win there. I saw how focused he was that day in Sydney when he was packing up his huge bag with shooting equipment.
It was clear that AB was already thinking of the next Olympics in 2004, Athens. It was sheer bad luck AB missed a medal owing to a loose tile in the shooting range in Greece. He offered no excuses. For, Abhinav is the last guy who will find fault with anything other than himself.
Perhaps, the wait till 2008 was more anxious and frustrating for sports fans than AB himself. He had patience, has patience, and will remain a virtue of patience in any public space he occupies. That’s Abhinav Bindra, my friend and well-wisher. The weight of that gold medal and significance in Indian sporting history will be the first chapter for me in some ways.
Of course, since India won independence in 1947, she sent out four individual Olympic medallists before him. KD Jadhav in Helsinki in 1952, Leander Paes in Atlanta 1996, Karnam Malleswari in Sydney 2000 and Col RVS Rathore in Athens. Eleven years after AB’s gold, on August 7, 2021, Neeraj Chopra won a javelin gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Back to Beijing, AB was not one of those famous with ‘good quotes.’ He did speak to the media, but in those days he was more happy to stay quiet. The following day, when some of us were privileged to be present when AB met Indian Ambassador to China, Nirupama Menon Rao, the champion behaved as if he had done nothing special!
It is this simplicity of champion Abhinav Bindra which stands out. Having covered five Olympic Games, including Paris 2024, I can cross my heart and say, Beijing will remain special because of Abhinav Bindra. Personally, lending my voice in the commentary booth is a dream come true. It lingers. And I owe that to AB.
Thanks, AB.
Photo: Screenshot of 2008 Olympic Games 10m Air Rifle final, courtesy Olympic Channel
