Mumbai: Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra feels more Indian shooters had a chance to convert their “performance into a medal” at the Paris Games but overall it was a campaign he should be proud of. India won a total of six medals, including three in shooting. During this, Manu Bhaker became the first player from the country to win two medals in a single Olympic season since Independence. After winning the bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol, Manu also won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed shooting along with Sarabjot Singh.
Another bronze for India was won by Swapnil Kusale in the 50m rifle 3 position event. Bindra told ‘Jio Cinema’, “Some shooters missed but everyone gave a good fight.” He said, “Good results are important but more important than that is to see how much you have improved in terms of performance as a country. If you look at it this way, we have performed better than before. We would like to see some more performances converting into medals, but we have a lot to be proud of.”
Beijing Olympics (2008) gold medallist Bindra praised Manu for ending the rift with coach Jaspal Rana and working together for success. He said, “He (Rana) is a storehouse of knowledge, a coach who makes the players work hard and that is a good thing. I had coaches whom I disliked but I also liked them. I found a way to work with them.”
He said, “I give credit to Manu that she patched up with Jaspal after a few years of difficult times. This is normal in a coach-athlete relationship. Athletes are sensitive people and when we are under pressure, sensitivity increases.” While he praised Manu and Kusale, he also encouraged Arjun Babuta, who missed the bronze medal by a small margin. Babuta finished fourth in the 10 meter air rifle event. He said, “I spoke to him before and after the competition, he was disappointed, but he is looking forward to the future. He will need some time to get over the pain of finishing fourth. But this is life, this is sports.
