Chandigarh: Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra scored 1161 in rifle 3 position event in the ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning, US equalling the six-year-old national record held by Subedar Subhayha of Indian Army since 1999.

Bindra took on to rifle event only two months ago and it was his maiden appearance in this category at the international level where he is vying for a quota place for Bejing 2008, his family said here on Saturday. “This event has been a strong hold of the Indian Army,” they said.

Bindra is being coached by rifle coach Stanislav Lapidus of Kazakhstan, who was earlier the coach of the Indian Army.

When contacted at Fort Benning after the event, Lapidus said “I have not seen any shooter in my training history of 25 years who has reached such high levels in two months and I think Abhinav Bindra in the coming time will be .22 champion for India”.

Abhinav, whose pet event is .177 air rifle, could not score well in it here because of some disturbed conditions and would strive for quota position in the air rifle at the forthcoming World Cup in Munich and Milan next month. (PTI)