Rio -- "Somebody had to be fourth, and it's me."
One of India's greatest Olympians brought the curtain down on a stellar career at the Olympic Shooting Centre in Rio on Monday. And his interaction with the press at the end of some heart-stopping final moments in his sport summed up his simplistic approach to two decades as one of India's best.
Abhinav Bindra leaves the biggest stage -- he had announced before the 2016 Olympics that these Games will be his last outing in competitive shooting - with a third final appearance in five Olympics outings in the 10m air rifle event. He came within a whisker of ensuring a podium finish, before a shoot-off saw him lose out to eventual silver-medallist Sergiy Kulish of Ukraine.
In defeat, as in victory in 2008, Bindra maintained his characteristic equanimity.
"The shoot-off at the very end is a lottery. I decided I had to be aggressive," Bindra told reporters after the event, before giving an insight into how his ability to adapt has made him such a consistent shooter.
"I shot a 10.0; the other guy shot a 10.5 and so it is. When I arrived this morning, the table I was sitting on collapsed and my sight [the device placed on top of the gun to help a shooter take aim] broke. I replaced it with the one I use in India, but that was okay. Yes, my a** is hurting," he shrugged and told reporters.
"Three Olympic finals in my career (is) not bad. I didn't think I would reach even one. Sport is not maths. I am very surprised at how far I have come after London.
"It is easy to say I could have won a medal, but it didn't happen. That's the reality, so let's accept it and move on."
Despite missing out on a medal, Bindra was overall pleased with the fact that so many people were taking a renewed interest in the Olympics.
"We're getting there. There's more enthusiasm towards the Olympics now and I hope it continues to rise," he told ESPN. "We shouldn't be fixated to one sport. The Olympics come once in four years, and every athlete works very hard towards that. It's so special in one's career.
"There's no disappointment (among the shooters). Everybody comes with expectations of their own, and is putting their best foot forward. There are so many athletes competing for just three medals, it's bloody hard. Hopefully we'll come back with more (medals) in the next few days."
When asked about whether his decision to retire was reversible, his reply was as much classic Bindra as an answer could be.
"I have a rifle on sale. Do you want it? No, I firmly believe in giving my place to another person. We have a lot of talent back home. I don't want to hang on for just the sake of hanging on.
"Maybe I'm better at something else. If I'm bored at home, I'll probably just log on to ESPN.com."