From correspondents in Delhi, India, 11:00 AM IST

President Pratibha Patil Monday congratulated Abhinav Bindra who made history when he won a gold medal for the 10-metre air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics - India's first individual gold medal in the Olympics.

The president's message came soon after Bindra's historic gold. He won by scoring 700.5 points, 596 in the qualifier and 104.5 in the final to claim the gold.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)