Nation celebrates first gold medal success in Olympics

Abhinav Bindra, an Indian shooter specializing in the 10 m Air Rifle made the country proud by winning an individual gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This is the first gold medal since 1980 for India.

Bindra, a Khel Ratna awardee, finished the qualifying event joint fourth with Romania's George Alin Moldoveanu after the duo shot a score of 596/600.

According to India IBTimes, Bindra, who qualified for the finals in third place, outscored 2004 Olympic champion, China's Zhu Qinan and Finland's Henri Hakkinen for the top spot.

"I can't describe how happy I am," Bindra told journalists after the medal presentation ceremony. "It's the thrill of my life. That's about it. It's hard to describe. I just went for it."

"It is a proud moment for me and a victory for India. Olympic sports are not given priority in India. I hope now the focus will be on Olympics in the country," he said.

"For me, life will go on as usual but I sincerely hope Olympic Sports get a leg–up. It's not a priority back home and I hope more focus is paid to these events," he added.

Meanwhile, Haryana government has announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for Bindra, who has created history and bagged the first gold medal for India at the Olympic Games.

Making this announcement, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, chief minister of the state today said, “Bindra had made every Indian proud.’’

India's President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have congratulated Bindra, describing his feat as a "golden performance" and for making India proud. "He has made the country proud," Patil said.