A lot of work ahead, he is now the most eligible bachelor, says mother

Chandigarh, August 11 : At the Bindras’ 10-acre farm outside Chandigarh, it takes five minutes just to walk from the main gate to the palatial greyish-white mansion where the family moved almost a decade ago. But today the scene is a little different — the quiet disturbed by a throng of journalists who, complete with cameras, jostle to get closer to Abhinav’s father A S Bindra.

The vast compound, which houses a swimming pool and is protected by guard dogs, is also home to Abhinav’s private sanctuary — a training area which includes a gym, spa, physiotherapy centre and his personal Olympic-sized shooting range.

A visit to the range reveals the story of many a battle won and many a skirmish lost. In a corner, there are Abhinav’s practice jackets lying beside a Walther Air Rifle. Right next to them, a piece of paper reads, “Coppa Del Monda World Cup, May 22-May 30, 2008”.

“That’s when Abhinav last visited home,” says his father. “He’s been travelling for the past three months and it was after the World Cup in Coppa Del Mondo that he stayed with us for three days. Then he went to South Africa for fitness sessions and to Germany for practice before he flew to Beijing.”

Lying close by is Abhinav’s identity card from the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he finished seventh, and his father makes a reference to the heartbreak without any prompting. “We still remember how he missed his chance during the Athens Olympics. This win has washed away memories of that loss,” he says.

For much of the last two years, Abhinav was dogged by a severe back injury and critics had labelled him a lost wonder as his scores started to slip and the medals started to dry up. They were tough times, and Abhinav drew courage from a self-written poem in Hindi, tagged on the wall in his range, about the loneliness of his pursuit for excellence and about his support-system.

“Abhinav was five years old when he used to practice with his maid. He would put a water balloon on her head and aim with the small air-gun, ‘Diana’. I noticed it one day when I came home after practice and realised that Abhinav had talent. We straightaway stopped this habit of his and enrolled him with Col J S Dhillon,” says A S Bindra as he straightens a portrait of Abhinav’s.

The conversation veers towards the early struggle...

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