A Shot at History - My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold is Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra’s autobiography, written along with the journalist Rohit Brijnath.(MRP: Rs 399; I bought it on Flipkart.com for Rs. 259)
Most of us think that rifle-shooting is a simple, straightforward sport: just aim your rifle at the target, stand as still as possible, hold your breath and pull the trigger. In fact, it’s so simple it shouldn’t even be called a sport, right?
Boy, aren’t we wrong! This book provides the reader a great insight into this sport and into the mind of a champion from the best perspective possible: that of the shooter himself.
Reading this book has led me to really respect and admire this truly incredible sportsman. And I’m sure you will too. To begin with, the bull’s eye on the target is only 0.5mm in size and the shooter has to stand at a distance of 10 metres! That tells you what a task a shooter is up against.
Bindra describes how he got interested in this sport and recounts the events and incidents that took place over the years. He reveals the great lengths he went to to improve his performances and his consistency. He talks about the heartbreaking setbacks he suffered and how he dealt with them. He revisits the different types of training he underwent in different countries. In short, shooting was literally an obsession with him; the word obsession mentioned in the title of the book is not an exaggeration.
I strongly recommend this book; it shows you what perseverence, dedication, resilience, sacrifice and the pursuit of excellence really mean.