| India has captured its first-ever Olympic gold medal in | | | | easily gone to another shooter."I just went for it. It |
| an individual event, thanks to the steady aim of | | | | went my way and that is just about it," he said. "I |
| Abhinav Bindra in the 10-meter air rifle event, | | | | mean, on another day somebody else would have |
| Monday. VOA's Jim Stevenson has more on the | | | | won it. On another day, somebody else could have |
| accomplishment. Newspapers across India are telling | | | | easily won it. But today was my day."Bindra won the |
| residents of the world's second most-populous nation | | | | air rifle world championship 2006. A back injury forced |
| about Abhinav Bindra and his winning performance at | | | | him to withdraw from the Asian Games in Doha, later |
| the Beijing Olympics.Gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra | | | | that year.Bindra's win is the only Olympic highlight for |
| of India on the podium following men's 10m air rifle | | | | India since it dominated men's field hockey from 1928 |
| shooting finals, 11 Aug 2008No single athlete from | | | | through 1956, winning six consecutive Olympic titles. |
| India had ever captured an Olympic gold medal. The | | | | Two more team titles came in 1964 and 1980. But |
| country's last team gold was won 28 years ago, in | | | | the program has degraded to the point where India's |
| men's field hockey. Bindra says his title could have | | | | field hockey team failed to qualify for Beijing. |