He looks like and ordinary IT guy or an engineer

Well, he does own a joystick company. Although his mothers' plans (Bindra’s mother, Babli, told the local CNN affiliate that his win “makes him an even more eligible bachelor” than he already was) might mean a new operator for that joystick is in the offing...

Phew!! A gold medal, finally.
I hear Saina is doing good in women's badminton. Can we dream of one more medal?

Poor Sania. Pulled out because her wrist was hurting. That’s what cortisone injections are for woman!

heh. did i call it or vot! That said - cant be too hard on Sania Begum. I once read an essay on cricinfo on why Sachin tendulkar is the #1 cricketer of all time - it wasnt a hagiography - some australian was commenting on the pressure on the guy to deliver day in and day out. it isnt just the money or the sponsors - it's the hordes pressing against the walls, the windows, the barricades - entreating, exhorting, cussing, applauding, praying - driving the mind to a numbness and exhaustion. and tendulkar's seen this since his teens [somebody correct me if i'm wrong], and has carried through this admirably. now... ms mirza's demons are different. unlike cricket, which is a team sport, the spotlight is squarely on the individual in her sport. wont blame her for feeling ... fuck you all losers... i play for me.. and taking the easy way out.

Just look at our boy. He looks like and ordinary IT guy or an engineer or friendly grad student. He is now a national hero. A Peter Parker of sorts.

American men win the 4 x 100 m swimming relay last night was un-freaking-real!

man, of all sports we conquered SHOOTING?

gah i'll take it

Raj and the Americans are in second place right now sticking all their landings! Keep your fingers crossed and we might have the first Indian American Olympic [the end of this sentence was omitted to prevent jinxing].

Hopefully this will preempt the usual chorus of how it's not badass enough.

nope... old frooti. the honor of being the first goes to alexi singh grewal.

Born into unusual wealth, with access to private resources inaccessible to his compatriots - this isnt the triumph of a society. it is unquestionably a tremendous personal win - but i can not see it as a turning point.

It could be a turning point.
I hope media will report about Bindra's impressive work ethic, I hope media will report about senior Bindra's dedication to his son's desire to excel in a SPORT.

If unsual wealth could ensure Gold medals then Ambanis and Mittals would have scrounged a few already.

Singh is King!

8 · khoofia said

nope... old frooti. the honor of being the first goes to alexi singh grewal.

he wasn't Indian he was American of desi origin. This is the first Gold for an Indian representing india. Though per the Wiki article Grewal could never fully escape his heritage as he raced for the 7-11 Team (no joke).

LouieLouie... i was referencing Comment # six when linking to alexi's wiki.

Keep your fingers crossed and we might have the first Indian American Olympic [the end of this sentence was omitted to prevent jinxing].

Though per the Wiki article Grewal could never fully escape his heritage as he raced for the 7-11 Team (no joke).

What's more, he was dropped for spitting.

of all sports we conquered SHOOTING?

Din't India have the second largest gun arsenal in private hands.

not to be a wet langote, but the boy is hardly an average joginder like Lt Col Rathode. Born into unusual wealth, with access to private resources inaccessible to his compatriots - this isnt the triumph of a society. it is unquestionably a tremendous personal win - but i can not see it as a turning point. a medal for vijender kumar would mean sooo much more.

True, the guy had his own private shooting range at home and a father who is planning a Rs 200 crore investment. So I doubt you will have people take up shooting or any other Olympic sport.

At present the only sport in India that provides amazing upward mobility is Cricket. Amongst the current contracted team you have players who have come from poor families for instance two sons of a muezzin (Irfan Pathan & Yusuf Pathan), a bus drivers son (Wasim Jaffer), a farmer son (Munaf Patel), a paanwalah (Joginder Sharma).

Not related to Olympics, but to sports, athletes from India make it on their own.

Here is an example - teaching martial arts to chinese in HK is no laughing matter.

14 · Samir said

Din't India have the second largest gun arsenal in private hands.

Yeah and the largest gold hoard in the world too! But this one is special and I hope the first of many more to come in the decades ahead. Decades, I mean, I am realistic.

Isn't it interesting how an Indian beat a country with a huge NRA population?

..i am digging the Kirstie Coventry story. Politics and sports !!

hey!

came to ur blog really liked what i found.

As for Mr. Bindra am so very glad that he won the gold and it was beautiful to have the national anthem play at the Olympics especially in CHINA.
But I too wonder if without his dad's riches would he have reached where he has this soon, if at all.

The reason he landed gold is because of his extraordinary work ethic. Yes, the fact that his family is wealthy helped but till a couple of years back he could not even lift a rifle because of back problems. The dude beat that to win an Olympic gold. How many rich folks, whose kids are interested in sports, can boast of a similar work ethic and claim to have made a mark on the international stage. Abhinav Bindra is the real deal!!!!

Congrats to Bindra and fellow Indians :) And I second comment # 21.

SVEEET!!!!

Bronze looks good against (sculpted) brown.

At the risk of starting a never ending debate may I say Raj Bhavsar is a Gujarati-American ! Congrats.

IOA announces withdrawal of India's IOC membership after Abhinav Bindra wins gold at Beijing

In an unprecedented move, Suresh Kalmadi, President of the IOA since 1996, announced that the Indian Olympic Association would be withdrawing from its membership of the International Olympic Committee.

Mr. Kalmadi's announcement came in Beijing, shortly after Abhinav Bindra won India its first ever individual gold medal at the Olympics. Mr. Kalmadi was quoted as saying

We won a bronze in 1996 through Leander Paes and in 2000 through Karnam Malleswari. In 2004, we won a silver, thanks to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Now, we have won gold. The progress is fairly obvious.

I had a frank discussion with the IOC board about instituting Diamond and Platinum medals for higher achievements, but the IOA's request was rebuffed. Having won gold, there're no more challenges. Since there is now nothing more left for India to achieve, we do not see any point in participating in the Olympics henceforth. However, all athletes who have been picked for the current games in Beijing will get to compete. Thanks to Abhinav Bindra, there's so much less pressure on them now to win more medals!

I congratulate the honorary officials of the Indian Olympic Association, our Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, the MLAs from all the states, the National Rifle Association of India and the various officials of the Olympic contingent in Beijing for this achievement. Since our various sports federations and committees have proved that we can produce Olympic gold medallists, I am pleased to announce that the elections to all federations have been postponed by 25 years.

http://jagadish.blogspot.com/2008/08/ioa-announces-withdrawal-of-indias-ioc.html

At the risk of starting a never ending debate may I say Raj Bhavsar is a Gujarati-American ! Congrats.

thats why he won only the bronze - if he was from any other part of india he would have won gold :-)

You know what they say: All that glitters is not gold. Besides Bronze is more tanned and "Sepia" than gold anyway :)

There's been some discussion on IndiaMike.com on A Bindra's father's statement that his son shot a bottle (balloon?) off his maids head when Abhinav was 7 years old: Congratulations, Abhinav!

The father said it may have been fatal, but oh, hey, it wasn't.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/sports-in-india-f111/gold-medal-for-india-t59940/

Throwing it open to SM for comment - in a nation with such huge disparities of income, the father's comment was something else

Bindra's family wealth may have been a contributing factor, but not the decisive one. India has many wealthy families that can indulge their members hobbies and sports - it does not meant they will be any good at it. It takes practice, and competing against the best. Given India's size, it is not always necessary to venture abroad to find people to compete against, but again, you are not necessarily competing against the best in the world.

Second, you have to take into account the unintended effect of endorsement money. In a nation with an ever expanding middle class, it is easier for an average sports star to make much more money selling soda and jeans than being the top player in their field. Look at the poor performance of India's cricket team in the last world cup - among the best paid players in the world were beaten by a scrappy but motivated team from Bangladesh.

The same thing happened in the NBA - American players got soft, and were trounced in 2004. Now, they want to prove that they are the best again.

#28,
The comment by the father about shooting something on the head of the maid may be a little bit of a fantasy (or artistic licence:-) )added by a proud father. But not compeletly unthinkable in India.

And BTW, how great it is for Raj Bhavsar to not only represent the US this year in the Olympics but also get a medal and get himself into the books.

27 · TheFoolOnTheHill said

There's been some discussion on IndiaMike.com on A Bindra's father's statement that his son shot a bottle (balloon?) off his maids head when Abhinav was 7 years old: Congratulations, Abhinav!

The father said it may have been fatal, but oh, hey, it wasn't.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/sports-in-india-f111/gold-medal-for-india-t59940/

Throwing it open to SM for comment - in a nation with such huge disparities of income, the father's comment was something else

That's sick. But sadly believable. Rich Indians should hire PR people to keep them from saying cringeworthy stuff to the media.

At present the only sport in India that provides amazing upward mobility is Cricket. Amongst the current contracted team you have players who have come from poor families for instance two sons of a muezzin (Irfan Pathan & Yusuf Pathan), a bus drivers son (Wasim Jaffer), a farmer son (Munaf Patel), a paanwalah (Joginder Sharma).

Holy Shit! What about happened to nepotism, inside contacts etc. for playing in the Indian Cricket Team?

abhi - I like how you highlight the important parts of your post for dullards like me :)

I wish whining or procrastination were Olympic events. I'd have a shot at the US Team, that's for sure.

Hey, these Olympics are fun! Now I want to visit China, which I will never do, because I hate travel. I know that makes no sense. I don't get it either.

Am I the only one? I kept thinking how I’m now too old and beat-up to be an Olympian and I was feeling kind of jealous of fellow Wolverine Michael Phelps (would my upper body look like that if I growled in victory poolside?)

Michael Phelps might be the greatest Olympian of all time. He smashed another world record in the 200m last night. Also the 4x100 gold and the destruction of the trash talking Frenchies was beyond sweet.

On a completely different note, does anyone know which hindi song was played post competition just after "We are the champions" and just before "She bangs"? Totally killed the spirit of the celebrations.

Am I the only one? I kept thinking how I’m now too old and beat-up to be an Olympian and

First Jesus, Mary, Joseph are Indians and now We are kicking Kundi in China..
Total World Domination isn't too far away!!

Michael Phelps is getting boring.
I mean the guy eats, sleeps , and swims. For all the TV time he has got, he has not made one entertaining quote.

...i just read the NYT about the fake singing, and the TOI piece about the missing foreign visitors. This Olympics had better get going. Not once did NBC pan to the audience during the gymnastics. Why??

I saw Raj only during one of the team events - (Pommel horse?). He didnt cost the team the lead like Kevin Tam did. But he did not do well during his turn. Still, he got the bronze. So making the team was an achievement in itself.

MD @ 33. Even if you hate travel, make an exception and go to China. I was there exactly three years ago presenting few technical papers (of course the Boss at home was with me)and visited all the places they show on TV these days, except the Bird's Nest, Water Cube and few other Olympic Venues. Heck we even climbed (a small portion) of the Great Wall. It is ironic that the wall was built over thousands of years to keep them (Mongols like Shah Rukh Khan Changhez Khan) "Barbarians" out of China. Lo and behold, China currently is entertaining all sort of "Barbarians" from all over the world. Times have changed!!;-)

Also the 4x100 gold and the destruction of the trash talking Frenchies was beyond sweet.

Destruction?? Oh come on! The US team won by the smallest of margins possible, thats not destruction, thats squeeking through!! When Phelps won by over a body length in the next race ( 200m freestyle), THAT was destruction.......

Destruction?? Oh come on! The US team won by the smallest of margins possible

Yeah, but Lezak pipping the frenchie after being more than half a body length behind, at the start of the last 50, counts for some shock & awe.

....from high to low...this is why i love my India.
Satyagraha Ishcalator.

and what is your beef with gujjus? Be proud that member of the the indian-american acheived something this great instead pin pointing. That is the problems with indians-they never stick together. Proof in case!

Bindra was amazing!. But what the hell was he wearing for the medal ceremony? Capri Pants for men are fashion in India?

Michael Phelps might be the greatest Olympian of all time. He smashed another world record in the 200m last night. Also the 4x100 gold and the destruction of the trash talking Frenchies was beyond sweet.

Re: Raj Bhavsar, I think we all knew the Americans were not really gold-eligible in the Olympics (just not enough difficulty in their routines), but he has such a great story. On the alternate list for two Olympics and finally called up to compete at the 11th hour because of a team injury. He is consistent and, in my opinion, did a very respectable job in stabilizing the team. Effectively he was keeping them from "bottoming out" of a medal.

I really didn't think I'd be as excited as I am for the Olympics this year, but it has been wicked fun.

Holy **it!!
Imagine my shock when I opened SM and saw my passport pic on the screen!
Man, Abhinav Bindra (in this pic. at least) looks so much like me, it is creepy.
I am a doctor though... Is karma trying to tell me something?

46 · LandBeyond7Zs said

Capri Pants for men are fashion in India?

47 · Camille on August 12, 2008 04:48 PM · Direct link · “Quote”(?)

ahem, they are called "Man-Pris" and they were very much in fashion at this year's Wimbledon (Nadal).

He looks like and ordinary IT guy or an engineer or friendly grad student.

Or.. Bhutto's son. Billawal

I don't know, CuteKidGate has ruined the Olympics for me. This will haunt China more than the Blair Witch Project haunts Barry Bonds. I haven't been this disillusioned since Milli Vanilli said; "Read my lips", then went ahead and raised taxes anyway.

48 · Doppleganger said

Imagine my shock when I opened SM and saw my passport pic on the screen!

Imagine my shock when I want to the post office to mail a letter, look on the wall, and then...oh, never mind.

At the risk of starting a never ending debate may I say Raj Bhavsar is a Gujarati-American ! Congrats.

Actually we are all Gujarati...

Actually we are all Gujarati..

Ich Bin Ein Dhokla.

53 · Branch Dravidian said

At the risk of starting a never ending debate may I say Raj Bhavsar is a Gujarati-American ! Congrats.

Actually we are all Gujarati...

Count this konkani out. It is hard to think of a greater insult.

Just look at our boy. He looks like and ordinary IT guy or an engineer or friendly grad student.

I despise ESPN and SportsCenter specifically because of their incessant
smart-ass comments. With a glint in their eye, they'll cut you down to
size. Drag'em to down wallow in their squalor, no big deal, no valor.

It is a BIG deal. Leave his personal appearance alone, especially with
some miserable out-of-date photograph. What's next? His skin tone?

I despise ESPN and SportsCenter specifically because of their incessant smart-ass comments.

Ummmm. How long have you been reading this blog again?

It is a BIG deal.

And I know you feel this way since you put BIG in all caps.

Leave his personal appearance alone, especially with some miserable out-of-date photograph. What's next? His skin tone?

The miserable picture is from his official Olympic profile. Now that you mention it he does look kind of pasty.

India has had a fair few sharp shooters innit?

Now that you mention it he does look kind of pasty.

Does that make you feel better, cutting him down to your size (or complexion)? The man
has inspired millions and in a South Asian blog, you immediately mock his appearance?
It is emulating the circling buzzards of ESPN.

I found it interesting in his Wiki entry he is the sole distributor of the Walther in India.
Imagine Federer whilst playing being the sole distributor of Wilson in his country. His
family is poised to profit from the achievement... phenomenal business acumen, timing and resources.

It is kind of ironic for India to win its first individual gold in shooting. The poor guy cannot eat his winnings in Shikar, unless he goes after the chickens.

Conviniently we seem to forget this!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7556489.stm

no lapdance. we were too busy counting the rupia and pounding the drums made of the skins of the backs of 3 year old babes ripped from the arms of their mothers in the indian countryside while they loomed exquisite carpets that i repose my fat bottom on even as i enjoy the games that are these olympics.

HAHaHAAHAHAHAAA *laughs maniacally* HAHaHAAHAHAHAAA

It is depressing in itself to watch the Olympics while being brown....and I can't even latch on to my country of birth origin for pride either since Canada hasn't one medal yet either...

but congrats to Abhinav & Raj for making it a little bit less so. I'm proud of them.

I really think if the subcontinent focused on sports that the impoverished masses could do well in, like soccer, boxing, gymnastics etc. and provided a platform for their development we could have more than a decent showing.

Raj Bhavsar looks like Kal Penn on steroids. Watching Raj and the chinese-american guy compete together on the US Olympic Gymnastic Team was kinda like watching "Harold and Kumar Go To The Beijing Olympics"....

Abhinav Bindra has a personal western coach and his own personal shooting range. Rathore who won a silver medal in shooting in the last Olympics also had a personal coach from the West. How many indians can afford to be shooting stars? Though one can expect the desi herd mentality to kick in and the politicians and tycoons are likely to set up a few shooting ranges.

I think it will be more significant if one of India's boxers wins a medal in this Olympics. Having watched Indian boxers, and a desi boxer from Mauritius, convincingly beat some world class opponents in Beijing; and remembering the remarkable silver medal performance of Amir Khan (representing Britain) in the last Olympics (he is still undefeated in his professional career), I think it is reasonable to conclude that desis can be contenders in this sport in the near future. If many more desis make their mark in the shooting and fighting sports it could go some ways in alleviating the wimpy pushovers stereotype of desis.

Excluding Fencing there are 51 gold medals that can be won in the Combat Sports: Boxing, Wrestling, Judo and Tae Kwon Do. The Cubans dominate boxing while east asians do very well in Judo and Tae Kwon Do, and the turkic nations shine in Wrestling. These sports require little money which is why the wealthy developed nations do not monopolize them. India has an ancient history, independent of western influence, in the martial arts. Gama Pahalwan was one othe greatest wrestlers of the 20th century. I think there is plenty of talent in India waiting to be recognized and nurtured. Blame the culture and the system for India's failures.

I really think if the subcontinent focused on sports that the impoverished masses could do well in, like soccer, boxing, gymnastics etc. and provided a platform for their development we could have more than a decent showing.

An interesting post on Passtheroti points out something funny about abhinva's victory, to neone reading an indian newspaper... the big story was "indian wins gold medal for shooting" and the second headline was "police shoot unarmed protestors in kashmir, 11 killed"... thats india for you.

67 · gems_bond said

An interesting post on Passtheroti points out something funny about abhinva's victory, to neone reading an indian newspaper... the big story was "indian wins gold medal for shooting" and the second headline was "police shoot unarmed protestors in kashmir, 11 killed"... thats india for you.

The only thing interesting about it is that PTR would find nothing noteworthy about Kashmiris terrorizing their Kashmiru Hindu neighbors. It's only a human rights abuse when it's the govt that's shooting, you have to have power in a macro environment to be racist/bigot. So many damn get out of jail free cards for the Left...

There must be better ways to drive traffic to PTR, you think?

Now, trying to bring it back on topic. Anil Kumar is doing India proud in boxing. This is something to be proud of even if he doesn't secure a medal. Maybe the economics of boxing lend itself to India. It is associated with the urban poor here in the US

You mean Akhil Kumar?
Let's hope he has better luck w/ officials than Khashaba Jadhav.

Akhil Kumar defeated the world champion in his weight class in a very close match and is now one fight away from an olympic medal. If he wins his next fight he is guaranteed a bronze medal and a shot at the gold. If he wins the gold he will be a super star in India. His cocky, outgoing personality is a stark contrast to the shy, reclusive, nerdy Abhinav Bindra, though both are equally short, and his appeal will be greater among the indian masses.

Meanwhile the results of the World Junior Chess Championships are in and an Indian boy, Abhijeet Gupta, and an Indian girl, Harika Dronavalli, are now the World Junior Champions:

http://wjcc2008.tsf.org.tr/

With the current undisputed World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, also an Indian national it is accurate to say that indians are currently dominant in Chess, a game that was invented in India.

BTW, the current Women's World Chess Champion is chinese. So it is an asian sweep.

All the fighting Kumars have done quite well so far.