When PV Sindhu made it to the Rio Games final, Abhinav Bindra tweeted, "I'm waiting for you to join me in the club. You have no idea how lonely it's been." With the 2020 Tokyo Games looming in sight, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist hopes the wait will be finally over.
He is doing his bit to make it possible through his foundation, Abhinav Bindra Foundation and sports science centre Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance, which has spread wings in four cities - Mohali, Delhi, Bhubaneshwar and Bengaluru. From being an International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Athletes Committee member to managing the foundation, the former shooter is donning many hats. He spoke to TOI about his projects, Indian sport in general and shooting in particular and more.
BCCL
It has been almost three years since you fired your last competitive shot. You have got into sports science now. Is that keeping you busy post-retirement?
In the 22-odd years of my career, I faced all sort of physical and neurological issues, but I was someone who looked to get that 1% edge and get the best out of myself. For that I used to go out of the country and do things that can give me that edge.
Somewhere close to 2016, we decided to set up our first centre (ABTPC) in Mohali and do something for the Indian athletes. Yes, it takes a big part of my day and I am enjoying it. The idea behind our foundation (ABF) was reach as many athletes as possible. My real goal is to take to the grassroots. I feel a bottoms-up approach - from grassroots to elite athletes - will change the whole environment. Sports science is just started being used in sports now. It has only been a fancy word till now. We want to reach to the grassroots and make a 10-11-year-old kid use the facility and make them understand their body well. It is the base for any sport.
You must be following Indian shooting from outside. What your views on the progress our shooters are making?
BCCL
The success of Indian shooting has been phenomenal in the past few years. The number of young shooter we have today and the way they have been performing is amazing. The work which has gone in the last 6-7 years is now showing results. The junior programme was put into focus and it is heartening to see the national federation had the foresight to take this forward. The success is so huge, to a level that it is becoming a headache to manage so many shooters at a time. The selection has also become tougher because there are so many young shooters doing so well. I can say that India is the only country in the world which is making progress in shooting, all other countries have stagnated.
The National Rifle Association of India doesn't allow personal coaches of shooters at national camps or at competition. It is causing a rift since most of the shooters prefer to train with their personal coaches, instead of the national coaches.
I think this is a new challenge for the federation. I am not involved in the fed-, but I feel they have to react the challenge. In my opinion, they will have to balance the two (personal and national coaches). You can't ignore the personal coaches, as the task of getting new talent lies with them. They play a big role of searching the talent and bringing it to a certain level. Their role cannot be completely ignored. But then, how far do you go? My first coach, Colonel JS Dhillon is a great man. He trained me till a certain level, but then he had the foresight and he let me go to train with someone else after a certain level.
In Indian shooting's context, I feel we need to have a balance of the two - personal coaches and national coaches - as it will be an error of judgment if either one is ignored. They need to work together.
BCCL
In Germany, club coaches of the shooters and the national coaches work together. We too need to find a common way of working together and create an environment, so that both the sides can work together in harmony.
You still are the only individual Olympic gold medallist in the country...
I do hope that changes in Tokyo. I wish more and more athletes qualify for the Games and the representation increases at the Olympics. Once it is done, there are more chances of our athletes winning medals and finding that one percent extra edge that is needed to win the gold. I went into extreme ways to get the best and achieve that one percent, so I hope others get it too.
India has been featured among the top-3 dope offenders in the past three years. Is there a way to stop the menace of doping?
BCCL
It is very unfortunate and I find it a serious problem. There are two aspects to the issue - education and awareness. I feel the athletes want to succeed at any cost. This mindset is wrong and it is probably leading them to go to the limits. We are obsessed with winning, but we have to find a degree of balance and do it correctly.
Also, they put all eggs in one basket. The bar is too high and there is too much at stake and winning is the only way that can make them lead a better life. So education is very important. They need to have a Plan B for their lives. They need to realise that being a sportsman, they have good values like integrity, discipline and capability to work hard. They can be successful in fields other than sports. Also, doping should be made a 'heavily punishable' offence. The fear of getting punished needs to be there.