New Delhi: Abhinav Bindra, India`s only individual Olympic gold medallist, has said that his struggle to book a quota place for next year`s London Olympics was actually a blessing.
Bindra qualified for London Olympics in the ISSF Munich Shooting World Cup, which was his last chance to do so in the 10m air rifle event.
Bindra shot a qualification score of 596 points, which tied him with eight others but the Indian eventually made it to the finals with 52.6 points in the shoot-off.
"It`s good that I struggled. Had I booked a place last year and relaxed, I would not have known the reality. Now I know how tough it would be (to win a medal)," Bindra said on Wednesday.
"Olympics is a special place. Now I am close to reality and can prepare (accordingly)," the Beijing Olympics gold medallist said.
Bindra said it is not easy to qualify for the Olympics in shooting.
"It`s hard job to qualify, to win a quota place. There are a lot of good shooters. The scores are competitive."
He replied in the negative when asked if he felt the pressure of being an Olympic gold medallist while competing in the qualifying events.
"That was one-and-a-half year back. Pressure was there. I had different strategy in terms of preparation to shoot to that level," Bindra told a news channel.
Bindra admitted that he felt the heat as his qualification got delayed.
"I had my back on the wall but I have always done well in those circumstances."
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.