As the World Shooting Championship concluded in Cairo on Tuesday, 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra raises a toast to a young Team India, who finished third with three gold, six silver, and four bronze
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra, the 2008 Beijing Olympics air rifle gold medallist has always been upbeat about India’s shooters. Even when the Indians were unable to win medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he finished fourth and signed off, and at the Tokyo Olympics, Bindra was always positive about the talent, passion and depth in Indian shooting. Post retirement, Bindra has kept himself busy at various levels, as Vice-Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes Commission besides being IOC Mental Health Ambassador, but continues to follow Indian sports closely.
In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Bindra, who will soon receive the country’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, opened up on the performance of India’s shooters at the World Championship that concluded in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday. India (three gold, six silver, four bronze) finished an impressive third in the medals tally, behind China (12 gold, seven silver, two bronze) and South Korea (seven gold, three silver, four bronze).
Edited excerpts from the interview
What are your thoughts about the performance of India’s young shooters at the ISSF World Championships?
Team India’s performance at Cairo has been heartening.
What stood out was not just the medals, but the attitude. Our shooters approached the line with a sense of freedom. Fearlessness in shooting is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to stay centred despite it. This new generation seems to understand that. They are comfortable competing at the highest level, and that gives me great optimism for the future.
India’s Samrat Rana (left) and Ravinder Singh who won gold medals at the World Shooting Championship in Cairo recently. Pics/ISSF Instagram
A new, young world champion at 20, Samrat Rana has learnt shooting from his father. Is this something new, shooters like Samrat and a few more like Suruchi Singh [four-time World Cup gold medal-winner], bursting onto the scene?
Samrat’s rise speaks of two things, the strength of our talent pipeline and the power of early mentorship. When you grow up in a shooting environment, as he did with his father guiding him, you develop an instinctive understanding of pressure and rhythm. We’re seeing similar stories with athletes like Suruchi. They are arriving on the senior stage more prepared, more aware, and mentally more robust. This is not entirely new, but the scale is new. More young shooters now have access to structured training, science, and competitive exposure from an early age, and we’re seeing the results.
There is good depth among rifle shooters, but they seem to be inconsistent. For example, someone like Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar is doing well, but Sift Kaur Samra seems to be struggling. How can they get more consistent?
Athletes like Aishwary have shown tremendous resilience and versatility. At the same time, someone like Sift Kaur going through a difficult phase is part of sport. Consistency will come from three things: a high-quality training environment, mental conditioning as an integral part of the programme, and systematic competition exposure. Every shooter has a unique journey. The goal is to build systems that support them through highs and lows, so that dips don’t become derailments.
Manu Bhaker has had an average year so far. How would you advise her to look ahead?
Every athlete faces seasons where outcomes don’t reflect effort. Manu needs to reconnect with the joy of shooting, not the burden of expectation. She should treat this year as a learning phase, refine her process, work closely with her team, and return to the basics of technique and mental clarity. She has the experience, talent, and temperament. A reset, not a reinvention, is what she needs.
With the Asian Games in Japan next year before we slip into the next Olympic cycle, can Indian shooters head into LA 2028 stronger?
Indian shooting is in a position to enter the next Olympic cycle with strength. The Asian Games in Nagoya will be an important milestone, especially for younger athletes to measure themselves under continental pressure. Looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028, we have the depth to qualify in strong numbers, but qualification is only one part. Translating that into performance requires long-term planning, data-driven training, and athlete-centric support systems. If we remain consistent with these, LA 2028 can be a breakthrough Games for India.
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