The 22-year-old Manu Bhaker scripted history for India in the Paris Olympics as she won a bronze each in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events (paired with Sarabjot Singh).
New Delhi: If we talk about India’s star shooter Manu Bhaker, she is a groundbreaker in many different ways. After India’s independence, Manu Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. She is also the first female shooter to win an Olympic medal. On Thursday, Manu was sitting in a conversation where the pistol shooter talked about her journey leading up to the Paris Olympics 2024 and the adulation that she received after winning two bronze medals.
The 22-year-old Manu Bhaker scripted history for India in the Paris Olympics as she won a bronze each in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events (paired with Sarabjot Singh).
When asked if she would like to switch her life with one athlete for a day, Manu came up with a bold response.
“Honestly I would not like to switch my life with anybody at all. Chahe bura hi waqt chal raha ho (Even if the time is not good), I would not want to do that,” said Manu.
When asked if she would like to do anything apart from shooting, Manu said, “The love of my life is shooting and I want to shoot as long as possible and win as many medals for India as possible. I enjoy dressing up and other things as well but (shooting remains the priority).”
During the interaction, Manu also revealed how she deals with her anger. “I also get angry. But I have learnt to channel my anger into something positive. That is really important for a sportsperson.”
Talking about the journey of athletes and their home whereabouts and when it comes to sports, especially in the Olympics, Haryana has provided some of the finest athletes to the country, but mostly in the form of boxers and wrestlers. Manu Bhaker developed a contrasting taste, however, only after trying sports like tennis, skating and boxing in school.
It is worth mentioning that according to talent and interests sports was where Manu’s passion lay and she also excelled in a form of martial arts called ‘thang ta’, winning medals at the national level. Bhaker eventually took to shooting just as fish takes to water, giving early signs that she was meant to reach the absolute pinnacle in the sport.
The journey finally culminated in a glorious moment as she scripted history at the Paris Olympics 2024 with two bronze medals.