Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won the air rifle Olympic quota place in the World Cup in Munich, said he had always believed in his ability and his recent achievement did not come as asurprise to him.
"There was never really any doubt in my mind despite the setback in Zagreb (Croatia). I knew I could do it, I just hadto stay focussed," Bindra said in the Capital.
The 19-year-old shooting sensation said his disappointing performance in the Zagreb World Cup earlier this month had made him more determined and it was a "nice feeling" to have got hisact right in Munich.
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"I had some technical problems in Zagreb, so I could not perform to my potential. So I went to my gun company after themeet and got the problems rectified. Fortunately, things went well for me," said Bindra.
Bindra secured a berth in the Athens Olympics by winning the bronze medal in the men's 10m air rifle eventat the WorldCup in Munich on Sunday.
He managed to sneak into the final with a score of 596 which put him seventh among the eight finalists. But in thefinal, he shot 103.9, the highest in the field, to aggregate 699.9 and win the bronze.
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Bindra thus became the first Indian to secure a berth in the men's individual event forthe 2004 Olympics.
Bindra was now looking forward to keep the momentum going till the Athens Olympics.
"I have been shooting quite well since the last seven months. But I have to keep myselffocused and do well in theupcoming events," he said.
Asked whether he had made any special preparations for Munich, the young shooter said " I knew what wasreally expected of me. It was just a matter of concentrating and putting all my training to good use".
Bindra attributed his success to his coaches and sportspsychologists in the US who had made him "mentally tougher".
The star shooter, who had last won a World Cup bronze medal in 2001 at the same venue, said he was not under anypressure though expectations from his fans and family kept mounting in recent times.
"I know that I can shoot well. If I perform to my potential, I am capable of winning anything. Winning medalswas not at the back of my mind, I just wanted to do well," he explained.
On whether he felt nervous after making it to the final, Bindra said,"Once I made it to the final, I knewI could do it. I had the training for it".
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Bindra will now take part in the World Cup in Korea and is determined to carry onthe good work which will work wonders for his confidence.
After the Korean World Cup, the young shooter wants to sit down with experts and chalk out his plans for the big goal-- an Olympic medal.
PTI
