Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra (born September 28, 1982, Dehradun, India) is an Indian rifle shooter and winner of the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He is India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medalist.

Early career

Bindra took up rifle shooting in his mid-teens and quickly advanced in the sport. He qualified for and competed at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics but did not medal. At the 2001 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF; global governing body for Olympic and several non-Olympic shooting events) World Cup, Bindra won a bronze medal in the 10-meter air rifle event, establishing a junior world record with an initial phase score of 597 out of a maximum 600 points. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he captured two medals—a gold in the pairs event and a silver in the individual event of the 10-meter air rifle competition. He again won a pairs gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, along with a bronze in the solo event. Also in 2006 Bindra won the 10-meter air rifle gold at the ISSF World Championships, becoming the first Indian rifle shooter to place first at a World Championship competition.

2008 Beijing Olympics and beyond

At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, Bindra made history when he won the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition, becoming the first Indian competitor to win an individual Olympic gold medal. He attempted to defend his rifle shooting medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but he did not advance beyond the qualifying rounds. Bindra fared better at the 2014 Asian Games, held in Inch’ŏn, South Korea, where he won bronze medals for both the individual and team events in the 10-meter air rifle competition. At the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games he placed fourth in the men’s 10-meter air rifle event, falling just short of winning another Olympic medal.

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In 2009 Bindra received the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, and in 2018 he was awarded the Blue Cross by the ISSF for his exceptional services to the sport of shooting. His autobiography, A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold, written with Rohit Brijnath, was published in 2011. The book was launched by Ajay Maken, the Minister for Sports in the Indian government at the time, during a special event in New Delhi.

Post-retirement life

Shortly after the 2016 Olympics, Bindra retired from the sport, allowing him more time to pursue his various entrepreneurial activities. These included Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance, a physiotherapy and rehabilitation center. He is also the founder of the Abhinav Bindra Foundation. From 2018 to 2026 he was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission, a representative body for global athletes. Bindra was also one of the torchbearers at the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.