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Manu Bhaker has been open about how life has changed since her remarkable double-bronze achievement at the Paris Olympics. She longed for a third medal, she understands the value of staying realistic.
"I know how difficult it is to finish fourth," Manu told Boria Majumdar at Trailblazers 3.0 Conclave organised by RevSportz in Kolkata. "Indian shooters are brilliant. We are right there at top and we are naturally good at it. We are very sharp mentally. We must just keep focus and keep going at it," Manu added. Her journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. A prodigious talent who fell short at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Manu made history in Paris by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of Olympics. From modest beginnings to reaching the pinnacle of her sport, her story embodies perseverance, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. "We can make a lot of changes. We women can do a lot of things. It's a matter of changing how we think about certain things. Talent is not a problem. We need belief. And we have it. There are a lot of people making a big difference. Going ahead, we can do better. It's not about the bronze. We can hear the national anthem on the biggest stage," said Manu. Bhaker opened India's medal tally in the Olympics after she secured third place in the women's individual 10m air pistol event, becoming the first-ever woman shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. Following that, Sarabjot Singh and Bhaker won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol (mixed team) event, which was India's first-ever shooting team medal. In her final event, she narrowly missed out on the historic grand treble and finished fourth in the women's 25m pistol shooting event. She missed out on the opportunity to become the first Indian to win three medals at the Olympics. The young shooter's sweet redemption came after a disappointing Tokyo Olympics campaign in 2021, where a malfunction in her gun cost her a medal. During the 10 m air pistol qualification round during the Tokyo Olympics, her gun malfunctioned, which caused her to lose a lot of time. She was left with a very short amount of time to carry out her quota of shots. She missed the top-eight finish required to qualify for the final round and finished at the 12th spot. In the 25-metre pistol event, she failed to qualify further, finishing in the 15th spot. Her 10 m air pistol mixed team event did not go well either, as she finished in seventh overall. (ANI)
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