Manu Bhaker made history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal. Her remarkable achievement came in the 10m air pistol event in Paris, where she secured a bronze medal. This victory not only marked India's first medal in the Paris Games but also ended a 12-year drought for the country's highly anticipated shooters.
The last time India claimed shooting medals at the Olympics was during the 2012 London edition, when Vijay Kumar won silver in rapid-fire pistol and Gagan Narang won bronze in 10m air rifle. It is worth noting that Narang is currently serving as the chef de mission for the Paris contingent.
"It was a long due medal for India. I was merely a mode to do it. India deserves even more medals. We are looking forward to (winning) as many medals as possible this time. Personally for me the feeling is surreal. I put in a lot of effort. Even till the last shot I was fighting with all energy that I had. This is a bronze. Maybe better next time," Manu Bhaker said after the win.
During the interview, she was questioned about the final moments of the 10m air pistol competition.
“Honestly, I read a lot of Gita. So what was going through my mind is just do what you are meant to do. Just do what you are supposed to do and just leave. Whatever the destiny, you can’t control the outcome of it. So in Gita Krishna says to Arjun that, you know, you focus on your karma and not on the outcome of the karma. So only that was running in my head. I was like ‘just do your thing, just do your thing and just let it all be’,” Bhaker told official broadcasters Sports18 after winning bronze.
The athlete from Haryana experienced a devastating setback at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics three years ago when her pistol malfunctioned, causing her to miss out on a medal. Additionally, she failed to meet the qualification mark in the mixed team 10m pistol and 25m pistol events, further compounding her disappointment.
Also read| Meet Manu Bhaker, first Indian woman shooter to win medal in Olympics
