Bindra in final of first leg of European Circuit

Promising shooter Abhinav Bindra continued his dream run in the European Circuit as he steadily marched into the final of the RIAC Cup, the first leg of the month long shooting championships currently being held on Luxembourg.

As per the latest reports, Bindra, who claimed six gold, four silver and two bronze medals in the Circuit last year, is placed second among eight finalists with a tally of 593, four points behind world champion Dick Boshman.

The final round would be fired late on Thursday night. Bindra, who is the only Indian entry in this leg, battled extreme temperatures, going down to -22 degrees, as he put up a commendable performance amidst tough competition.

European Circuit championships comprise a series of competitions held in prominent European cities in which some of the best shooters in the world compete.

Last year, Bindra was the lone contender from India for the complete circuit. As a result of his successful campaign, India has fielded about two dozen shooters this time. The rest of the Indian team would join Bindra for the next leg to be held in Munich from January 22.

The team would return to the country on February 10 after participating in the third and fourth legs in Arhus and The Hague but Bindra would stay back to compete in the ISSF- sponsored International Air Rifle and Air Pistol competition to be held in Wiesbaden.