It has been more than 28 years since India claimed an Olympic gold medal. India last won an Olympic gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, defeating Spain 4-3 in the hockey final.

As Abhinav Bindra claimed the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle event at the Beijing Olympics on Monday, it also brought back memories of the last gold medal, which India won. That win was marred by the fact that most of the western countries had boycotted the Olympics and Abhinav's win certainly stands above those triumphs.

The win will certainly create new openings for our sportsmen who have been waiting for moments like these. His achievement is like Roger Banister's record in the 400 metres when he broke the four minute barrier.

There was something psychological about that barrier. Once Banister broke that record, it meant that the rest of the athletes will follow suit. The same was true for the 100-metre race. Once the 10-second barrier was broken, it meant that all the world records fell in the nine seconds bracket. For a whole generation, the gold medal was a dream. Abhinav made that dream come true for the whole nation and I am sure sportsperson will now have a belief that this is something, which can be achieved.

But of course, for that to happen, one needs patience and courage to perform better in such situations.

Look at this boy's amazing feat. He missed the medal in the Athens Olympics by a whisker and had a career-threatening back injury in between. But the way he came back from the setback is commendable. That is what winners are made of and Abhinav certainly fits that criteria. For four years, his focus was only one – to claim the glory which he missed in Athens. When he hit the last shot with 10-8 points, I thought about him being the modern day 'Arjuna' with his eyes focussed on the bird's eye. I have never seen a more composed sportsman than him and it reminded me of my triumphs.

During the 1948 London Olympics, I remember the final was interrupted by rain and earlier, the organisers had extended our match despite the fading light. Yet the Indian team did not lose its mind and it was a total team effort that we landed independent India's first ever Olympic gold medal. We repeated our performance again at the 1952 Helsinki and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. That's what I would like to see Abhinav doing in the years to come. Now when he has achieved the impossible, he should concentrate on the next Olympics. Incidentally, the 2012 Olympics are going to take place in London.

And the fact that Abhinav did this despite the government's apathy makes this win even more commendable. He had the resources to undergo training but one should also think about the other athletes. Most of the Olympic events are not given priority in India and I guess this win will set all the things on the right track.

Balbir Singh Senior won three gold medals as a part of the Indian hockey team in the 1948, 1952 and the 1956 Olympic Games. He was also a part of the squad that won the silver medal at the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.