‘Abhinav’s gold bigger than ours’

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‘Abhinav’s gold bigger than ours’

Chennai-Based Hockey Captain Of ’80 Team Says 112-Yr Wait Has Ended

V Baskaran

It was almost getting to be three decades, we were the last Indian sportsmen to win an Olympics gold medal. Twenty eight years is a long time. Abhinav Bindra’s achievement at Beijing feels much better than our triumph in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. This young man has created history and as a sportsman, I hope his name will be etched in golden letters in our memory.

Winning a gold medal in hockey was nothing new for India, even though we were winning gold after a 16-year gap at Moscow. But this achievement — our first-ever individual Olympics gold —is completely different, especially in the absence of the Indian hockey team at the Games. He has ended our wait of 112 long years. The achievement is all the more significant as he won by beating his Chinese rival in China. It is one of the rarest sporting achievements for us, and we must celebrate this great feat.

I think Abhinav’s victory should serve as an eye-opener for us. In a country where literacy rate is not more than 50% and awareness for sport — and something like shooting — is quite bleak, this is an important moment. How many people would even know that shooting is an Olympic sport? Abhinav’s gold should help change that perception.

I know Abhinav very well. We had spent time together at the Doha Asian Games’ village. He is a nice chap and smart too. He does not show the typical aggression of a sportsman. Abhinav is a calm and intelligent boy. I think these things were behind his success.

Back then, our job too wasn’t easy as we had a very young team. The average age was 21 and players like MM Somaya, Mohammad Shahid and Zafar Iqbal were youngsters, but we played top-class hockey to win the gold. I feel sad for the hockey team. No hockey lover can even imagine that we have not qualified. It’s nothing but a mishap. There is no dearth of talent.

From the core of my heart, I congratulate Abhinav. I hope he will bring more accolades for the country. What he has achieved does not happen every day. If I was the Prime Minister of India, I would have declared a holiday to honour Abhinav.