Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra has secured a berth in the Athens Olympics 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 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 has already secured a berth in an individual in the women's category through Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat.