"It was also a Tuesday in 2021 when Manu’s Pistol malfunctioned" - Manu Bhaker's mother Sumedha reveals 'worry' prior to Manu's bronze medal match
A couple of days after Manu Bhaker opened India’s medal count at the Paris Olympics with a bronze in women’s 10m Air Pistol event, she combined with Sarabjot Singh on Tuesday (July 30) to add another medal in the mixed team event. The pair beat the Korean duo of Oh Ye Jin and Wonho Lee 16-10 in the bronze-medal match.
The bronze was a historic feat from an Indian perspective, as Manu became the first-ever athlete in independent India to win two medals in one edition of the Olympics. Moments after Manu achieved the incredible feat, her mother Sumedha Bhaker finally breathed a sigh of relief as it was a similar Tuesday back in 2021 when her pistol malfunctioned on her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
But that was a thing of the past, and the 22-year-old Manu has already redeemed herself from the sourness with two medals from the ongoing edition in Paris. She now turns her focus on her third event — the women’s 25m Pistol event.
Back in Jhajjar, Haryana, her parents - Ram Kishan Bhaker and Sumedha Bhaker — were flooded with calls, with locals making a beeline to the household to congratulate the family members, that also includes her grandmother and a brother.
Celebrations continued in the entire neighbourhood from the morning anticipating her second Olympic medal, but for Sumedha, deep inside there was a fear, and she continued her prayers during the nail-biting contest between the Indian and Korean shooters at the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux.
“It was also a Tuesday in 2021 when Manu’s Pistol malfunctioned in Tokyo. And today it was another Tuesday, when Manu along with Sarabjot were getting ready for the bronze medal contest in 10m Air Pistol mixed team competition. So we were initially a bit worried, and prayed to Lord Hanuman to save the day for Manu and her partner. I’m so thankful to God for listening to our prayers, and the kids getting this medal for our country,” a proud Sumedha told Sportskeeda.
“It’s a proud moment not only for us as families, but for the entire nation. The support she (Manu) received throughout the Olympic cycle has been incredible, and we as parents want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for the support they have shown towards sports and sportspersons across disciplines," she added.
Sumedha revealed how Manu returned disheartened from Tokyo, and what it took for them as parents to console her as it wasn’t the end of the world for the youngster.
“When Manu returned from Tokyo, she was naturally inconsolable and said to us that she doesn’t believe in God anymore, but then we made her understand that somewhere we lacked in preparations and asked her to continue to work hard with belief in God," Sumedha recalled.
“We also told her that it wasn’t the end of the world, and today after winning two medals, we want to express our deepest gratitude to the Almighty,” she added.
How did Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh perform in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event?
On Tuesday, Manu started strongly, shooting a 10.2 in her opening shot but Sarabjot’s 8.6 cost India the first two points. He, however, recovered quickly with scores of 10.5, 10.4 and 10 to help India take the next six points.
Manu struck at least a 10 on her first seven shots. However, Oh Ye Jin kept the South Koreans in the hunt with her consistency as they recovered from an 8-2 deficit to stretch the match to 14-10. Oh Ye Jin, the Olympic champion, struck a 9 on her final shot while her partner managed a 9.5. Manu hit a 9.4 but a 10.2 from Sarabjot Singh confirmed the medal for India.
Earlier, on Monday, Manu and Sarabjot finished third in the qualifying round to make the bronze-medal match, behind Turkiye’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan-Yusuf Dikec and Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic-Damir Mikec. Serbia won the gold medal with a 16-14 win over Turkiye.
This two medals helped India end the medal drought in shooting after the shooters drew a blank in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020).