Chandigarh: Abhinav Bindra, who won the 10m air rifle gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, was given a rousing welcome as he reached his home, about 18 km from the city, on Saturday morning. The gate outside Abhinav’s residence was decorated with flowers and the highway to Patiala jammed with his well-wishers who had begun arriving well before dawn.

As soon as he arrived, Abhinav, however, chose to drive straight in, leaving his admirers and a bhangra troupe arranged by one of his fans to welcome him, dejected. A lock was also placed on the huge gates of his palatial farmhouse.

Media entry into the house was barred till Abhinav’s father Amarjeet relented. “Abhinav is sleeping. He will meet everyone at 4 pm,” he said.

Abhinav, who was offered a helicopter by the Punjab government to ferry him and his mother Babli from New Delhi, however, chose to travel by road in his own vehicle “to ensure his feet remained firmly on the ground” and preferred to rest in “familiar surroundings” in his palatial bungalow before speaking to the media.

“I was tense, nervous, did not sleep well the night before the final round,” Abhinav revealed. “It was the final of my life,” he added, the tired look on his face very evident after the series of meetings with politicians during the last couple of days in Delhi.

“I was not thinking of winning, I just tried to shoot well,” he added. “My first thought at winning the gold medal was ‘It’s all over’. Then I composed myself,” Abhinav said, flanked by two bodyguards from the President of India’s close proximity team deputed to be with him.

Stating that Olympic sports had to become the nation’s priority, the gold medallist felt Indian athletes had to win about 30 gold medals to be considered a sporting power. “China is obsessed with winning gold medals. India should take inspiration from that,” he said adding: “There is no magic solution to winning medals in the Olympics. It needs hard work from everyone concerned.”

“We have talented athletes in every field but have not been showing results. We need to look into all aspects. There is no dearth of good sportspersons in the country. There has been no Olympic progress despite the talent,” the 26-year-old shooter said. Abhinav did not agree that Indian coaches were inferior. “Indian coaches are good. Perhaps the only thing they need is further training and that has to be taken seriously. It requires proper planning,” he added.

Stating that he was fortunate to have done well for the country at the Beijing Olympics, Abhinav said all athletes who have participated have done their best for the nation. “They are all good sportspersons and there is still hope that some more medals will come to the country. The boxers have done very well,” he added.