Abhinav Bindra announces retirement from professional shooting

Abhinav Bindra with the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Incheon, Sep 22 (IANS) India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra Monday announced his retirement from competitive shooting, saying the 2014 Asian Games would be his last, but added that he would still give his last shot at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Bindra, 31, will represent India in his pet event, the 10-mtre air rifle event, here Tuesday.

Bindra announced in July that the 2014 Glasgow Games would be his last Commonwealth Games and he finished it off in style by winning his maiden singles Commonwealth Games gold.

The former World Champion still hoped that he would be at Rio Olympics in 2016.

In 2006, Bindra became the first Indian shooter to become a World Champion and two years later he scripted history by winning the individual gold medal in the 10m air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics.

Bindra, who was the youngest participant at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has fourth Commonwealth Gold medal. His previous three golds were in pairs and singles in Glasgow. He won singles silver medals in 2002 and 2010, and bronze in 2006.

Surprisingly, Bindra has only one Asian Games medal, a silver that came in the 2010 edition in Guangzhou. Perhaps a gold here at Incheon would be the perfect ending to an illustrious career that inspired many.

Tomorrow will mark the end of my professional shooting life ! I will however still shoot , compete as a hobby shooter training twice a week.

— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) September 22, 2014

And yes I will still try to be at rio and my bio is now most appropriate ! Great times and am sure there will be a few more !

— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) September 22, 2014