Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra [ Images ] has secured a berth in the Athens Olympics [ Images ] by winning the bronze medal in the fiercely competitive World Cup in Munich in the men's 10m rifle event.

Bindra shot a brilliant score of 596 on Sunday to enter the final amid a strong field of 211 top shooters from around the world.

In the final, he shot an impressive 103.9 thus ending with a tally of 699.9, narrowly missing the silver, a press release said on Monday.

United States bagged gold, while Russia [ Images ] finished second in the event.

Having seventh position going into the final, Bindra displayed exceptional skill to finish third, thus becoming the first Indian to secure a berth in the men's individual event for 2004 Athens Olympics.

"His dream has always been to win an Olympic gold and he has been working hard for that," Abhinav's father A S Bindra said.

India [ Images ] has already secured a berth in an individual in the women's category through Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat.