New Delhi, June 17: Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won the air rifle Olympic quota place in the World Cup in Munich, today said he had always believed in his ability and his recent achievement did not come as a surprise to him. "There was never really any doubt in my mind despite the setback in Zagreb (Croatia). I knew I could do it, I just had to stay focussed," Bindra said here today.
The 19-year-old shooting sensation said his disappointing performance in the Zagreb World Cup earlier this month had made him more determined and it was a "nice feeling" to have got his acts right in Munich.
Bindra secured a berth in the Athens Olympics by winning the bronze medal in the men's 10m air rifle event in the world cup in Munich on Sunday.
He managed to sneak into the final with a score of 596, which put him seventh among the eight finalists. But in the final, he shot 103.9, the highest in the field, to aggregate 699.9 and win the bronze. Bindra thus became the first Indian to secure a berth in the men's individual event for 2004 Olympics.
Bindra is now looking forward to keep the momentum going till the Athens Olympics.
"I have been shooting quite well since the last seven months. But I have to keep myself focussed and do well in the upcoming events," he said.
Bindra, who will leave for his hometown Chandigarh tomorrow, attributed his success to his coaches and sports psychologists in the US who had made him "mentally tougher". Bindra will now take part in the World Cup in Korea, coming up within a fortnight, and was determined to carry on the good work, which will work wonders for his confidence.
After the Korean World Cup, the young shooter wants to sit down with experts and chalk out his plans for the big goal an Olympic medal. Bureau Report