Abhinav Bindra, the first individual gold medalist of independent India, is no longer lonely at the top. The star shooter has another Indian with Olympic gold.
Abhinav Bindra won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 13 years later, 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra India won a historic gold medal in athletics with a javelin throw of 87.58 m. Neeraj Chopra was 10 when Abhinav Bindra was shooting for his gold medal in China.
One a shooter, the other a javelin thrower with a ball arm. Bindra and Neeraj are masters of different sports and come from different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common: their single-minded commitment to top athletic performance.
IN PHOTOS: Neeraj Chopra wins historic Javelin Gold
And they also have something in common: Manisha Malhotra, Head of Sports Excellence and Scouting, JSW Sports. Manisha Malhotra has worked with both Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra. She knows what it took to become two champions and what India’s Olympic champions were ready to do. Bindra and Neeraj were determined to fulfill their dreams.
“One common thing between Abhinav and Neeraj is that they have done everything in their power to work towards that goal – be it the diet, the hard work, the exercise, the fitness … they did whatever it took” Manisha Malhotra told India Today.
Abhinav Bindra on the top step of the podium at the Beijing Olympics (AFP Photo)
“They (Bindra and Neeraj) have left no stone unturned. When an athlete trains like this, they have the confidence that they know they couldn’t have done.
“And when you have that satisfaction, then you just relax and do your best because you know there is nothing more you can do and then leave it to the universe and other things that might affect your performance that day,” said Manisha .
Also read: How Neeraj Chopra won the battle of the greats in Tokyo
And because Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra had trained so hard, they had the confidence to go for gold.
Manisha remembered walking around a mall the night before his gold medal match with Bindra, and she remembered he was extremely relaxed. In the same way, said Manisha, Neeraj was relaxed the night before his spear final and he slept like a baby.
Neeraj Chopra was calm and collected in his first Olympic final (Reuters Photo)
On Saturday, shortly after his sensational Olympic debut, Neeraj Chopra told the media he wasn’t thinking of a gold medal. He actually wanted to set an Olympic record.
Neeraj was already a world famous javelin thrower when he boarded the flight to Tokyo. He’d trained so hard and played so many international tournaments that Neeraj was on autopilot for the Olympics.
“The international competitions I took part in were very important to me.
“Even during the Olympics, I didn’t feel like I was participating in anything new because of these competitions. I wasn’t under pressure to compete with the other javelin stars,” Neeraj told the media.
This is a big moment for Indian sport. India competed for a medal in track and field competitions for well over a century – Neeraj won gold on his first attempt.
Not surprisingly, Abhinav Bindra, longing for company at the top, wrote a heartfelt letter to Neeraj.
So it reads:
Coutesy: Abhinav Bindra Twitter
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