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Abhinav Bindra to give up full-time shooting after Asian Games
India's lone individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra plans to leave full-time shooting after competing in his favourite 10m air rifle event in the Asian Games on Tuesday.
India's lone individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra plans to leave full-time shooting after competing in his favourite 10m air rifle event in the Asian Games on Tuesday.
"Tomorrow will mark the end of my professional shooting life," Bindra, 31, tweeted on Monday, adding, "I will however still shoot, compete as a hobby shooter, training twice a week."
Bindra earned the honour of being "one in a billion" when he won the 10m air rifle title at the Beijing Games in 2008 to become India's first - and so far only - individual Olympic champion.
India have won eight other Olympic golds, but all of them in field hockey till 1980.
Despite giving up serious shooting, Bindra still hopes to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
"And yes I will still try to be at Rio and my bio is now most appropriate! Great times and am sure there will be a few more," he added.
Bindra, who won the gold medal at the Commonweath Games in Glasgow this year, failed to make the final at the World Championships in Spain this month.