Olympic champions Abhinav Bindra and Niccolo Campriani share their secret to a good night's sleep before the Games
'Taking refuge' mentors host a stress management session with Airbnb experience
Shooting
The stars of Olympic Channel's original series Taking Refuge: Target Tokyo 2020, Abhinav Bindra and Niccolo Campriani, shared the spotlight once again, this time as they co-hosted an online session to help viewers understand the techniques of stress management.
Taking Refuge: Target Tokyo 2020
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Niccolo Campriani leads three refugees on a brave journey to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in the air rifle event.
The Olympic air rifle champions talked about dealing with their inner thoughts and emotions in the Airbnb experience entitled 'How to sleep the night before the Games'.
Campriani shared his approach to dealing with stress which starts with setting the right goals.
“It’s important to ensure that whatever you desire is not a consequence of something outside of your control.” - Niccolo Campriani during his Airbnb Olympian Experience
Both veterans in the field of shooting, with over 15 years of experience, have mastered the various techniques when it comes to managing extreme and highly emotional situations.
Three-time gold medallist Campriani shared that "if meditation was a sport, it would be shooting."
The Italian has been instrumental in leading three refugees in a quest to qualify for the upcoming Games which has been documented in an Olympic Channel original series entitled Taking Refuge: Target Tokyo 2020.
"You can lie to yourself, to everyone around you but you can’t lie to the target" - Niccolo Campriani
During the hour-long session, the duo also replayed their Olympic winning moments and talked about what was going through their mind at that crucial moment when they fired the last shot.
Bindra revealed that he suffered from self-doubt and hopelessness throughout his career. Despite his best efforts he was unable to attain self belief, so he stopped trying and instead focused on chasing self-respect.
The Beijing 2008 gold medallist shared that he learnt to detach from the outcome and become process driven which involved focusing on getting every variable within his control, under control.
"The focus wasn't on winning a medal, but rather to shoot every shot to the best of my ability." - Abhinav Bindra during his Airbnb Olympian Experience
The only Indian to win an individual gold medal for his nation explained in detail the extent of his approach to Beijing 2008 following a disappointing 2004 Olympic Games experience.
Bindra revealed how he trained by standing on a lose tile, to emulate the conditions at the disappointing Athens final.
He even rented a huge wedding hall near his home in India to replicate the huge halls that would be the shooting arena for the Beijing 2008 Games.
"I even started drinking yak's milk ahead of Beijing as I was told it would increase my concentration." - Abhinav Bindra on his preparation for the Olympic Games
Eventually, the attention to detail in his preparation process, allowed him to believe that he was as prepared as possible and that in return gave him a lot of self respect which was important to helping him control his anxiety.
Bindra and Campriani on a quest
Taking Refuge: Target Tokyo 2020 follows Campriani as he leads three refugees on a journey to qualify for the next Olympic Games in his own shooting event, the 10 metre air rifle.
The five-episode Olympic Channel original series sees the three-time gold medallist use his mental and physical skills honed over years as a professional athlete to mentor Mahdi, Khaoula and Luna.
For more than a year, the Italian has invested his own free time and resources to help these individuals and bring the project to fruition. Relying heavily on his personal network, the shooting community and former sponsors, several have supported his effort by donating the needed equipment including air rifles, uniforms and electronic targets.
Together with his former rival and five-time Olympian and Beijing 2008 shooting gold medallist from India Abhinav Bindra, the two athletes have been inspired to create the “Make A Mark” project out of the overwhelming positive response to the initial project documented in Taking Refuge.
Its a tale of learning, rediscovery and finding inner peace through the unifying power of sport.
You can follow Campriani and his team of athletes as they set out to achieve their Olympic dream in Taking Refuge: Target Tokyo 2020.
The Summer Festival of Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences
The Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences is a collaboration between Airbnb, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) which will see more than 100 Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences hosted virtually by some of the world’s best athletes.
The five-day summer festival kicked off on 24 July, when the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were originally scheduled to begin, and is an opportunity for athletes to generate income while they share their passion for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and their sport with guests.
The festival also gives fans unprecedented global access to connect with athletes from over 20 countries and regions, all from the comfort of their homes.
Many athletes will continue to host their Experiences - both online and in-person in countries where it's safe and permissible to do so - with even more that will be added to Airbnb in the coming months and years.