By Abhishek Roy, IANS,
New Delhi : Ace marksman Abhinav Bindra, who began India’s gold rush at the Commonwealth Games Tuesday, says winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games was his “best moment” since winning the lone gold for India at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Bindra, who completed a hattrick of gold medals in pairs (2002, 2006 and now in 2010) in the Commonwealth Games with today’s win, said: “It always feels special to win the gold. This is my best moment since winning the gold at the Beijing Games. And this is the first time I am competing in such a big event on home soil.”
Bindra and World No.3 Gagan Narang gave India the first gold medal at this Games by winning the men’s 10-metre air rifle pairs event while the second came from Anisa Sayyed and Rahi Sarnobat in the women’s 25 metres pistol pairs. The Indians set new Games records in both the events.
Bindra, as a 15-year old, made his international debut in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur where he was the youngest Indian in the contingent.
Asked if the news of the triumph of the Indian shooters in the Commonwealth Games will get overshadowed on a day when the cricket team also won a Test match against Australia, Bindra said: “The Commonwealth Games will dominate the news columns. At least I want to live with that illusion.”
On the competition, Bindra said: “It was not a cake walk. There was a lot of expectations. There was a lot of pressure. It was certainly not easy.”