Team India has officially kickstarted their medal tally at the Paris Olympics. A young and focused Manu Bhaker clinched the coveted bronze medal at the women's shooting 10m air pistol event, held on Sunday, July 28. Not only does this mark India's first medal at the Paris Olympics with hopefully many more to come, but also spells out a redemption arc for the 22-year old athlete herself. Here's taking a look at her inspiring journey to Olympic glory.
Luck wasn't on Manu's side for the Tokyo Olympics
Manu Bhaker is no stranger to representing India on the world stage. Tokyo however, was her maiden Olympic appearance in which she was entrusted with representing the country across not one, but 3 keynote shooting events, namely women's 10m air pistol, women's 25m pistol and mixed 10m air pistol. However, she failed to qualify for the finals in all three. Though of course in hindsight Manu acknowledged the immense pressure she felt to perform well, the malfunctioning pistol only added to her burden, throwing her off balance.
In an interview with the Indian Express she recalled, "When I fixed the lever and adjusted the grip and I inserted the circuit, it stopped working. So it was like a double problem. I was blank. I wasn’t expecting so many problems in an air pistol...My time was (lapsing) so I had to shoot. I had no option". This time around though, Manu was clearly prepared for it all, which is what probably helped her display nerves of steel. It is also worth mentioning that she missed a silver win by a mere 0.2 point difference.
{{/usCountry}}In an interview with the Indian Express she recalled, "When I fixed the lever and adjusted the grip and I inserted the circuit, it stopped working. So it was like a double problem. I was blank. I wasn’t expecting so many problems in an air pistol...My time was (lapsing) so I had to shoot. I had no option". This time around though, Manu was clearly prepared for it all, which is what probably helped her display nerves of steel. It is also worth mentioning that she missed a silver win by a mere 0.2 point difference.
{{/usCountry}}Manu's bronze victory is historic
This statement holds true not just for herself but for India as well. Manu's win has made her the first woman shooter in the history of the country to have won an Olympic medal. Additionally, not only is this India's first medal at the Olympics this year but also represents an end to the 12-year long wait to an Olympic victory in shooting.
Prior to Manu, India's last Olympic medals in shooting had come home from the London 2012 games, courtesy of rapid-fire pistol shooter Vijay Kumar who won silver and 10m air rifle marksman Gagan Narang who won bronze.
Shooting isn't Manu's only passion
It won't be a far reach if we were to describe Manu as a bona fide athletic prodigy. Prior to shooting, Manu has made great strides in the disciplines of tennis, skating, boxing, and the martial arts, achieving national recognition. However, her watershed moment came when she was all of 14-years old, deciding to take up shooting following a surge of inspiration motivated by the Rio Olympics 2016. Manu has had varying levels of commendable success across the Commonwealth Games, World Cups and Asian Shooting Championships with the Summer Olympics too now making the elite list.
Here's hoping that Manu's victory is followed by more such proud moments for Team India at the Paris Olympics 2024.