Abhinav Bindra proud of Indian shooters' run in Paris Olympics but hopes to see 'more conversions to medals' in future

Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra believes the Indian shooting contingent could won another medal or two with “more conversions” but described their Paris 2024 campaign as one they should be proud of nevertheless.

“There have been misses, but everyone has fought well,” Bindra told JioCinema.

Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more

“Outcomes are important, but more than that, it’s about seeing how you’ve improved as a nation in terms of performance. If you look at those elements, we’ve performed better than before. We’d like to see more conversions to medals, but we have a lot to be proud of,” he said.

India not only won Olympic medals in shooting after a 12-year gap, they ended up winning three of them — Manu Bhaker alone accounting for two of them. Indian shooters had drawn a blank in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro as well as in Tokyo 2020 but ended up with their best-ever haul in a single edition of the Olympics.

It was the first time India won more than two medals in a single sport at the same Olympics. Bhaker, additionally became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal with an individual bronze in 10m air pistol.

Read | List of records held by history-making shooter Manu Bhaker

She would later become the first Indian after Independence to win more than one medal in the same Olympics after collecting 10m air pistol mixed team bronze with Sarabjot Singh.

Bindra praised Bhaker for patching up with coach Jaspal Rana and for working in tandem for her success.

“He (Rana) is a treasure trove of knowledge, a hard taskmaster and that’s a good thing. I had coaches I loved and ones I severely disliked but found a way to work with them.”

“I credit Manu for having patched up with Jaspal after a difficult couple of years, which is normal in a coach-athlete relationship. Athletes are sensitive people and when we’re under pressure, that sensitivity heightens,” he explained.

Read | Manu Bhaker receives grand welcome upon arrival in India, says next target is LA 2028

The 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter Bindra said Bhaker’s success in Paris was a story of resilience.

“She’s taught everyone about resilience, how to sail well, and bounce back from disappointment. The greatest moment was when she finished qualification on day one, I saw a picture of hers and she didn’t have a smile on her face. That told me she was going to do well,” he said.

With the champion herself and her coach and my former teammate the great @jaspalrana2806 pic.twitter.com/PPafTGG8eG

Swapnil Kusale would win India’s third shooting medal after winning bronze in the 50m rifle three positions event, the first time an Indian shooter had won a medal in that category. That was followed by Bhaker nearly medalling in the individual 25m pistol event as well, ultimately finishing fourth in that category

Bindra said Kusale’s focus on his preparations was the standout factor.

“He was very strategic in his preparation. A lot of athletes made the long trip from Chateauroux to Paris for the opening ceremony, but Swapnil decided not to. He seemed to be a very self-aware athlete, he knew where his body and mind were,” he said.

“He didn’t want to let go of energy, something he needed for competition. Sometimes, that’s the difference between coming back with a medal or not,” Bindra added.

Read | Swapnil Kusale: The railway ticket collector who won bronze at Paris Olympics

Bindra, however, admitted only time will heal Arjun Babuta’s wounds who finished fourth in men’s 10m air rifle event.

“I spoke to him before and after the event, he was disappointed, but he was already looking ahead. He’ll need a little bit of time to come to terms with a fourth-place finish, but that’s life, that’s what sports is all about,” Bindra said.

With PTI inputs