Indian shooting star Abhinav Bindra goes for gold again

As the chief executive of a company named Abhinav Futuristics, the marksman has taken aim at the weapons industry in India. He hopes to begin manufacturing firearms like the one he used to win Olympic gold, in a bid to make the sport more accessible for Indian youngsters.

“I’m trying to start up manufacturing sporting air rifles in this country. I believe it can be a good business opportunity and good for the sport in India,” he told CNBC in early 2010.

“I hope to get it started by the end of the year. I’ve been trying to do this ever since the Olympics. The problem with our sport is that the equipment is very expensive. I want young kids, who want to try it, to get access to equipment at a lower cost.”

The company, based in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, hopes to shift up to 25,000 weapons per year, in a joint venture with German arms firm Walther. The Indian media has since reported that Bindra’s company will also supply the Indian police force.

Knuckling down to business is a sobering prospect for a man who enjoyed – or endured – the adulation of the world’s most populous country for months after his Olympic win.

Bindra said his phone “did not stop ringing off the hook” until November 2008 following his victory in August that year, and has spoken of his bewilderment at the national stardom afforded him in its aftermath.

But his stated ambitions have remained the same since: promote the sport of shooting and reform the way sport in India is governed.

Even in the moments after his victory, Bindra declared: “I sincerely hope that it changes how Olympic sport is viewed in India.

“Right now, Olympic sports don’t seem to be a priority and I hope that changes. As for shooting, I am sure it will grow stronger from here.”

Two years later, Bindra has been forced to admit that weaning Indians off cricket and onto shooting has proved a tough proposition.