Sport - Sports : General

Bindra exhorts youth to ‘dream big’

— PHOTO: AP

ROLE MODEL: In his inspirational ‘My Olympic Journey’ speech, Abhinav Bindra spoke about the discipline, commitment and focus that went into the making of an Olympic champion.

NEW DELHI: “Choose your own path and build your own road,” said World and Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, as he goaded the youth of the country, in his vibrant, ‘My Olympic Journey’ speech delivered at the FICCI Federation House here on Wednesday.

“What works for me need not work for others,” Bindra however added, as he shared his experience in a programme moderated by NDTV Sports Editor, Sonali Chander.

Bindra said it was important to break the gigantic task of winning the Olympic gold to manageable proportions, revealing that the three qualities that helped him reach the goal were his healthy attitude of willing to learn at every stage, the motivation to keep at the task while trying to find the solution when faced with hurdles and his intense focus on the challenge till the goal was achieved.

Bindra revealed that apart from enjoying the long hours of training, he also underwent commando training in Germany apart from resorting to neuro feed-back training, so that he could deliver at the moment of reckoning.

“I had all sorts of disturbances during training to ensure that I attained laser sharp focus,” said Bindra, as he gave a glimpse into what had gone into achieving India’s first individual Olympic gold medal.

“I had the coaches taking care of the technical aspects, psychologists to handle the mental part and support from sponsors like the Mittal Champions Trust to take care of the financial needs,” he recalled.

Bindra said that he had taken care of every possible point of preparation so well that he was unfazed by the fact that his rifle was still shooting a 9 despite 40 ‘clicks’ before it reverted to “proper champion behaviour” during the final.

“Whether it was an accident or deliberate, it did me a favour in bringing out the best in me,” he said.

It was a dream day for Bindra, on August 11, as he started the qualifying series with a 10.9 and eventually wound up the final with a near-perfect 10.8.

“I was shooting like a machine,” he said.

Later, while fielding the questions from parents and children assembled in the auditorium, Bindra said that it was important for the kids to play so that they could be better at academics as well.

“Sport teaches you a lot. So, go play, at least for an hour every day,” Bindra said.

Apart from deftly handling a number of questions including the delicate ones about what made his heart flutter, Bindra listed the need to have better infrastructure all over the country, good coaching at the grassroots level and the need to keep high goals, like winning five medals in the London Games, and pursue them vigorously.

“Dream big, and aim high. Pursue your goals with passion. Don’t be discouraged by failures, because they are the stepping stones to success,” was Bindra’s message for the youth of the country.

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