Shooting from the lip

That Abhinav Bindra is a man of few words is no surprise. But if the 26-year-old who, contrary to his carefully-crafted image, is seen having a hearty laugh, and asserting that he is 8220;a normal guy8221;, it surely is a surprise, though, quite like his Olympic gold, a perfectly pleasant one.

That Abhinav Bindra is a man of few words is no surprise. But if the 26-year-old who, contrary to his carefully-crafted image, is seen having a hearty laugh, and asserting that he is 8220;a normal guy8221;, it surely is a surprise, though, quite like his Olympic gold, a perfectly pleasant one.

So on Saturday, when the country8217;s only individual gold medallist decided to talk to mediapersons without a break for more than three hours there was finally a glimpse of the person Abhinav actually is.

8220;Training is very relaxing, it helps to keep you calm, meditate, attune your mind and body,8221; he said, when asked of his life away from shooting, before adding: 8220;but, unfortunately, competition is a very different scenario.8221;

And then there is one dream that remains to be fulfilled 8212; so what if it isn8217;t as much his. 8220;My dream was to win an Olympic gold, my mum8217;s dream is to get me married,8221; he quipped.

His easy camaraderie with his coach for eight years, Gaby Buhlmann, and his technical trainer Heinz Reinkemeier was evident. Every question about Abhinav, the shooter was answered with the trademark calmness; for every question on Abhinav, the person, he looked to Gaby to bail him out.

Also evident was the fact that Gaby had been more than just a coach for him all these years. 8220;He was crazy when he first came to us,8221; she laughed, as Abhinav joined in. 8220;The first day of practice, I remember we started at 10 in the morning, and at 11 at night, we finally had to tell him, 8216;Abhinav, we need to rest now8217;,8221; she added.

8220;A day before his event in Beijing, I thought he was too cool, too relaxed, but all that could have been done was.8221;

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The feeling is mutual. Abhinav prefers others to do the talking for him, he has 8220;always preferred a low profile.8221;

As for Reinkemeier, the mystery man in Abhinav8217;s success, this was the German8217;s first appearance in front of the Indian media, and he immediately made an impression.

8220;He was the best in the 10 shots fired during the Olympic final, and that means a lot,8221; he said, when asked if Abhinav was the best air-rifle shooter at the moment. The trio have collaborated on a book, Ways of the Rifle, a complete manual for shooters.

8220;When I started out, there was nothing I could turn to for reference. That8217;s when I thought of something like this,8221; Abhinav said.