-Boria Majumdar
Abhinav Bindra is one of the best India has ever seen. And the best thing about him is his clarity. His ability to see things how they are and get better. Seek solutions rather than just ask the questions. He is one of the best thinkers in sport and in this interview he answers some questions that every young athlete will do well to listen to.
This is a fitting finale to this season of Backstage with Boria.
Abhinav Bindra on failure and success, on dealing with disappointments and making a comeback. On embracing change even when things are going the best for you. And how important such change is for an athlete.
Boria- Yet another year when we have the Asian Games and next year is Paris 2024. When you look back and see your own career what are the lessons you think stay relevant for the youngsters who are now playing he sport?
Abhinav- First and foremost you need to be self aware. I played in five Olympic games and each was different. At 17 I was a growing boy in Sydney and in Rio I was a 35 year old man. My body underwent change. I changed as a human being. And you needed to be aware of how things were changing and change with it. Take Athens for example. If you ask me I was shooting the best I ever did in 2004. It was effortless. I was sailing through competitions. But that’s when I realised I had to change if I had to get to the next stage. Trying to change when you are doing well is the toughest decision of all. For the next two years for example I won nothing. But then this decision to change was the best of my career. It set me up for Beijing. It is this self awareness that I needed to change even when things were going well that I am talking about. And decisions like these will help every athlete aspiring to be the best.
From participating in Sydney Olympics as a young teenager to winning gold 🥇 in Beijing Olympics, the inspirational journey of @Abhinav_Bindra‘s 1st #Olympic gold 🥇. How did he adapt and evolve during the course of his career?
Listen in 👇@AgeasFederal @Wowmomo4u #shooting pic.twitter.com/W3bKnd8HB9— RevSportz (@RevSportz) March 28, 2023
Boria-How do you deal with the disappointment of failing in a world cup or a world championship or in a major event like the Asian Games or an Olympics? More often than not it will happen. Only a few will win and it is tough after years of preparation?
Abhinav- Of course it is tough. Having said that it is the greatest learning sport can offer you. It teaches you how to lose and then get better. See after a disappointment it is natural you will feel low. You are allowed a day of low. That’s it. After a day of whining and feeling low you have to come back and start doing the same things again. Get back to training and doing the things that make you the best. Get back to the process. The problem with us is we spend far too much time thinking of the past and the future. What happened in the past and what can happen in the future. In doing so we lose track of the present. You need to stay in the present and get ready. That’s what sport teaches you and that’s what you need to do to get better. Stay in the present and follow the process after a day of feeling low.
Boria- But then when you fail in an Olympic games for example it is a 4 year long wait thereafter isn’t it. It is a long time for the next Olympics to come along.
Abhinav- Exactly the point. If you fail in one Olympic games it is not as if you will get another the next day and go and win. So while you have your long term goal of winning an Olympic medal you also need to set several short term goals that will keep you going. And if you achieve them you deserve a pat on the back for that’s how you get set for the bigger goal. Simply put you need to turn up for work everyday to be ready for an examination a year later. I had to turn up for training every day to be ready for an Olympic games four years later. And turn up with the same passion and enthusiasm. That’s why I say an Olympic games doesn’t come every four years, it comes everyday. What it teaches you is that you need to fall in love with the boring and the mundane. The process is the boring and the mundane. When no one is watching you. There are no cameras. No people and fans. No media. That’s what you need to fall in love with to be able ready yourself for the big stage. You need to find joy in effort.
Boria- This is easier said than done isn’t it.
Abhinav- Of course it is. That’s why few are able to do it. But it is something extremely powerful. It is about empowerment. If you find joy in process and in training, you feel extremely powerful from within. Before Beijing for example I was already a winner. So what if I failed. I had tried everything possible and done so to the best of my ability. I had done so with complete passion and dedication. I had found joy in doing so. I was fulfilled. As an athlete that’s what it is all about. Even before I travelled to Beijing I was already a winner in my own eyes. That I think is the key. You need to seek joy in the process and in the mundane like I said. Be your best every single day in training and keep getting better. You can’t just turn up one fine day and win an Olympic medal. You need to be able to win it everyday in training. That’s what will get you the best prepared for the games when they eventually come. That’s what I did all through in my career.