SURE SHOT
If you don't know air-rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra, rest easy. It's not a crime yet. It isn't because he is not gifted, it's because his sport -- -- shooting -- -- has all the spectator appeal of a clock ticking. The still shooter and his blurred target.

How can you see the bulls-eye? He barely can. It's 5 mm and in this small detail lies the first idea of his growing ability. Two months ago, standing 10 m away, he hit the bulls-eye so often that he scored 594/600. A world junior record (but not recognised for it wasn't an international meet). Not bad for a 17-year-old with minus 1.75 vision.

Shooting is an introspective sport and it fits the shy Bindra like a shell casing. It demands patience, balance (you stand for one hour and 45 minutes during competition), breathing (exhale at the wrong point and a shot goes awry), and a synchronicity of align, aim, fire. That he won the SAF Games gold recently proves he does much of it well.

He is aiming at Athens 2004. He has the guns, the money, the nerves, the purpose. Now he says: "I'm shooting world-class scores in practice, I just need to replicate that in competition."