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#OlympicMedalHopes: Whether she wins or not, we are proud of Manu
Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker prepares to dazzle on the world stage at Tokyo. And back in Haryana’s Goria, the Arjuna awardee’s family says they are extremely proud of her, regardless of how the Olympics unfold.
Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker is one of India’s top medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics this year, where she makes her debut in three events — 10m individual, mixed team, and 25m pistol. Back in Haryana’s Goria, the Arjuna awardee’s family says they are extremely proud of her, regardless of how the Olympics unfold.
Ramkishan Bhaker, a chief engineer in merchant navy, beams with pride at his daughter’s achievements. He says, “While she had already participated in the Youth Olympics (and won gold), this is the biggest stage yet and the highlight of her career. Humare liye toh state level competitions hi badi baat thi, Olympics toh bohot hi badi baat hai (We used to think state level competitions were big, this is far beyond our imagination).”
Talking about her dedication, he recalls, “Manu used to play a lot of sports in school, including boxing and martial arts. In 2016, she wanted to change her sport, so I took her to the shooting range in the school. She had a near perfect score, and the coach was thrilled to see her talent. Then she started pursuing shooting with focus... As parents, we have never told our kids what they can or cannot do; we simply support their decisions.”
Ask if they are worried for her safety, amid the pandemic, as the 19-year-old preps for her competitions in Japan, and her mother, Sumedha assures, “She has had both her vaccines, and as a family, we had been practising sanitisation as a norm in the house long before the coronavirus pandemic happened. We know she is being careful and all safety measures are in place.”
Manu has logged out of all her social media accounts, for the duration of the Games, and speaks to her family only once a day. “She calls us, and gives us bullet points of how her day has been,” shares Sumedha, adding, “We speak less, simply because we don’t want to bother her at all. She has seen success at a very young age, and sometimes it can get pressurising. But Manu has handled herself gracefully. We don’t talk about medals and shooting at all! Whether she gets an Olympic medal or not, we are going to take a vacation once she’s back from Tokyo! Ek mahina party karenge (laughs).”
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
