Bindra tells Paris-bound shooters to aim for perfection

NEW DELHI, April 16

Former Olympics champion Abhinav Bindra has told the country’s Paris-bound shooters to embrace the pressure they will face at the Games, and to train themselves to be perfect on what will most likely be an imperfect day.

Despite weather glitch, Paris Olympics flame lit

Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient Games in southern Greece. Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when a actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch — after offering up a symbolic prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god. Instead, a backup flame was used that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal. AP

India are sending their largest Olympics shooting contingent to the Games having secured 19 quota places across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines for Paris.

The national federation hopes the numbers will translate into podium places and last month invited Bindra, India’s first individual Olympics gold medallist, to share his experiences of competing in five Games.

While some suggest treating the Olympics as just another competition in order to avoid any additional pressure Bindra said athletes must face reality.

“It’s not just another competition because the platform is the greatest, and most glorified platform in sport,” Bindra said. “The difference is the expectations that an athlete has to confront, the internal expectations as well as the external expectations. You cannot run away from it. You have to learn to embrace it. Once you accept it, you’ll have the best chance to work around it. If you resist it, and try and run away from it, it will hit you at some point.”

Bindra’s advice for India’s latest crop of sharp shooters — train hard and expect the unexpected.

“Chasing perfection is like chasing an untameable beast,” the 41-year-old said. “What all leading athletes do is learn to be perfect on the imperfect day. Many times athletes want to feel in a particular way, they want to be in a particular way, and then they do well. But what if that feeling doesn’t come on that day? If you think that you will just wake up and walk out to the range and it’ll be an easy day and you’ll win a medal, it may happen but ... chances are very less.” — Reuters

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