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Abhinav Bindra was lavished with praise and a huge cash bonanza after taking gold in the men's 10m Air Rifle，India's first ever individual Olympic gold medal
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India's first ever individual Olympic gold medal won on Monday was greeted at home with disbelief and joy -- as well as renewed hope the country could break with its total obsession with cricket.
Abhinav Bindra, a 25-year-old businessman, was lavished with praise and a huge cash bonanza after taking gold in the men's 10m Air Rifle, in one of the most thrilling shooting finals in Olympic history.
India, winners of eight field hockey golds, had never won an individual Olympic title before Bindra's feat.
"This is an individual medal. It's a greater achievement. I was the captain of a team that won a gold but this is far bigger," said Vasudevan Bhaskaran, captain of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the Moscow Games in 1980.
Tributes were sent by President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, while Bindra's family home in Chandigarh in northern India was thronged with well-wishers.
"Abhinav has shown the world that an Indian can also stand on the podium," said Indian track and field legend P.T. Usha, whose best was an Asian Games gold.
Several Indian states were quick to announce cash awards totalling four million rupees (95,000 dollars), with an additional three million rupees from the central government and 2.5 million from an unlikely donor -- the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"Hearty congratulations to Abhinav Bindra for winning India's first ever individual gold medal at the Olympics. He has done the country proud," BCCI president Sharad Pawar said.
India is currently facing its four-yearly dilemma of watching cricket or switching to the Olympics -- although this time the Beijing extravaganza appears to have gained ground.
A poll conducted by one of the Games sponsors found that almost 70 percent of city-bred Indians will closely follow the action in Beijing despite a clash with India's cricket tour of Sri Lanka.
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(Agencies)
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本周一，印度迎來了本國歷史上首枚個人項目奧運金牌，舉國民眾不敢相信，卻為之歡欣鼓舞——同時也為打破板球運動獨霸印度的局面帶來一線希望。
商人出身、現(xiàn)年25歲的阿比納夫?賓德拉斬獲男子10米氣步槍金牌，同時也因此贏得贊揚和巨額現(xiàn)金獎勵。這是奧運史上最激動人心的射擊決賽之一。
在賓德拉之前，印度曾是八屆奧運會曲棍球金牌獲得者，但是一直與奧運會個人金牌無緣。
曾獲1980年莫斯科奧運會曲棍球冠軍的印度曲棍球隊隊長瓦蘇德萬?巴斯卡蘭說：“這是一枚個人金牌，是一項更偉大的成就。雖然我曾是奧運冠軍隊的隊長，但這枚金牌的意義更加重大?！?/font>
印度總統(tǒng)卡帕蒂爾、總理辛格和國大黨主席索尼亞?甘地紛紛致電表示祝賀。與此同時，在印度南部昌迪加爾市賓德拉的家里擠滿了前來道賀的人。
印度田徑傳奇人物P?T?烏莎說：“阿比納夫向全世界證明，印度人也可以站在領獎臺上。”她的最好成績是亞運會冠軍。
印度好幾個州立即宣布將提供總額高達400萬盧比（合9.5萬美元）的現(xiàn)金獎勵，此外，中央政府將頒發(fā)獎金300萬盧比。出人意料的是，印度板球管理委員會也將發(fā)放250萬盧比獎金。
印度板球管理委員會主席夏拉德?帕沃說：“衷心祝賀阿比納夫?賓德拉獲得印度首枚奧運會個人金牌。他是我們國家的驕傲?！?/font>
印度人民目前正面臨他們四年一次的抉擇，接著看板球還是改看奧運。不過，這一次北京的體育盛宴似乎已經(jīng)占了上風。
據(jù)某奧運贊助商進行的民意調查顯示，在北京奧運會比賽與印度和斯里蘭卡的板球對決相沖突的情況下，有近70%的印度城市居民表示會密切關注北京奧運會。
（實習生吳昭文 英語點津Helen編輯） |
