For far too long, we have complained about our failures in sport. We have blamed the system, we have blamed the politicians who run it, we have even questioned our genetics. Every four years, it has become a collective national ritual to blame everyone else when we find ourselves wanting in the global mirror of the Olympics, only to move on and repeat the same catharsis four years later. Bindra has shown that it is possible to succeed in spite of the system. The late Pramod Mahajan once said only half-jokingly that the Indian IT and beauty industries rose to great heights only because the government did not realise their presence until they had already made a mark. Abhinav Bindra’s success too has followed a similar template, at least with respect to the national sporting superstructure. Born with the luxury of affluence and an indoor shooting range in his backyard, he emerged as a child prodigy, only to taste initial defeat at Sydney and Athens. He could as easily have given up, blamed the system and have been content with his World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals. But he persevered. It is a victory born out of the pain of loss and an iron will to succeed. Here at last is India’s answer to those that point to the success of Surinam’s Anthony Nesty or that of the Ethiopian runners, for that matter. It is indeed possible to succeed without access to the best sporting facilities. This is not to argue against creating efficient systems — that would be a terrible folly — but in sports there are moments when all it boils down to is self-belief.

... contd.