Abhinav Bindra is just 18 but he's more mature than most his age. Though he won a bronze medal in the shooting World Cup, in Munich, only last week, he does not show any signs of arrogance, something one who can hit the bulls eye with alarming consistency would carry along.

Onkar Singh spoke to the soft-spoken champion, who, at the outset of an exclusive interview, made it clear that he is in no way related to former Board of Control for Cricket in India president I S Bindra, though he shares the same name.

"My father may have a striking resemblace with I S Bindra, but I am not related to him in any way," he said.

The air rifle shooter has one goal in mind. It is winning an Olympic gold medal. "I do not have time to waste. I have a goal in front of me and that is to achieve a gold medal at the Olympics in air rifle shooting," he says. Excerpts:

Are you satisfied with your performance in the World Cup?

I am fairly satisfied with my performance in the World Cup. It is a big achievement to win a medal at the World Cup. Winning a medal is like doing well at Wimbledon, in tennis. It is one of the biggest shooting competitions in the world. I am happy with my achievement.

There was no media hype before the tournament. Did it help you to do better -- because there was no pressure on you?

I wish there was pressure on me. The pressure would have forced me to do even better. Maybe, if the pressure had been there on me I would have won the gold medal in the World Cup. Pressure is a positive thing and it makes no difference on your performance if it is not there. Pressure, to my mind, helps you to do better.

At a time when most youngsters in India want to be either cricket or a tennis players, you chose shooting. Why?

Right from my childhood I have been attracted by guns. When I started participating in competitive shooting, I started working harder and harder and the results soon started coming in. My father has a farmhouse in Dehradun and he has so many guns lying there. I guess that is where I started liking guns.

Did shooting come to you naturally?

No, it did not come to me naturally. I won't say that I was sharp-shooter from the day one. You got to work hard. I don't think you need any special talent to win. If you are the one who likes to work hard, the success would automatically follow you. You got to put your best foot forward. Rifle shooting is very tough and the competition in this event is tougher than any other form of shooting.

What are the factors which make a shooter a sharp-shooter?

Concentration and your steady hands. In any sphere of life concentration is a must if you want to do well. You work hard, the hands become steady automatically.

Years ago, Jaspal Rana created a sensation with an excellent performance in pistol shooting, but later disappeared from the scene?

I would not say that he has disappeared. He is very much around and if he puts in hard work he would do well. Unfortunately for him, his pet events are no Olympic disciplines. There are not many tournaments/competitions in those events, because not many countries prepare their shooters for those events. He is a very good shooter still and I hope he would do well in the forthcoming Afro-Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, to be held next year.

Do you get any help from senior shooters like Randhir Singh?

No. Shooting is a very individual sport. You cannot blame anybody for anything. If something goes wrong, it is you as a shooter who would have to take the blame for it. You've got to shoot the ninth and the tenth and the result may be in your favour or against you. You got to take the blame for it.

But there are shooters who blame the gun later on?

This is not good. They should take a good look at how they have performed and why they could not do better. If they only do this they will be better shooters. A gun is a sophisticated equipment and you got to take good care of it. Before the last shooting event in Munich my gun was really bad. But then I managed to fix it and scored 597.

What kind of assistance are you looking for from the Indian government?

I have asked them to provide a good coach of international standing for the rifle shooting team of India. We need a coach who would not only take care of our training schedule but also plan. You cannot hope to do well in the international arena without a good coach. You don't win medals in the Olympics by sheer accident. You got to work hard along with the coach to achieve something in life.

The minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Uma Bharti, has gone on record that she would give you all assistance provided you get her a gold in your event in the Olympic Games. Will you take the offer?

Look, in sports you cannot say that you will do this or that. You can do everything well and yet you may not win because others are doing better than you. At least you have a well-thought of plan how you would proceed in a particular competition. I cannot say that tomorrow I am going to win the gold medal. It does not happen that way.

What is your goal?

It is my dream to prepare and win a gold medal in the Olympic Games in my event. My parents have also the same dream. I hope I could achieve this. I am training hard for the Olympic Games. If I win a gold medal in the Olympic Games I will quit shooting the next year.

Why?

Because there are so many other things in life to achieve.

Are you preparing for the Commonwealth Games?

I am preparing for the Commonwealth Games, but they are more like a 'Micky Mouse' kind of competition, where a couple of good shooters from Australia take part and you have to compete with them.

You can also read:
Abhinav Bindra finishes sixth