“Everyone was shooting so well and so was I” - Manu Bhaker shares experience in 10m air pistol finals at Paris 2024 Olympics
Indian shooting superstar Manu Bhaker, who has become a household name since winning two bronze medals in the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics, spoke about the high level of competition that she faced in the finals of the women’s 10m air pistol event on July 28.
The 22-year-old pistol shooter spoke about the extremely tight competition in the final match, where she secured a podium finish behind the South Korean shooters Oh Ye Jin and Kim Ye Ji. Speaking on the experience of the final match in an interview with the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), Bhaker said:
“The final was definitely very neck to neck. The fight was amazing. I mean, I've never seen [such a fight] in such a high-pressure competition. Everyone was shooting so well and so was I.
“However, just with 1.2 or 1.3 or something like that, like people missed out on medals. I missed out on silver, but I made it to the bronze because of a little margin also,” Manu Bhaker added.
Manu Bhaker did not stop with just one bronze medal either, making fresh Olympic history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two bronze medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games when she secured third place in the 10m air pistol mixed team event partnering with Sarabjot Singh. Speaking about the experience of competition in a second final match in the span of a few days, Manu Bhaker said:
“Before the bronze medal match, both me and my partner who I was shooting [with], Sarabjot Singh, knew that it was either a medal [win], a podium finish, or [getting] the fourth position. I was only thinking to myself that no matter what happens, it's just only a matter of 30 or 40 minutes like my coach tells me every time. So he tells me before a match… just try to do your best, do not give up in any shot.”
“That mixed team match was thrilling for me because it's either you lose [or] you win. So [it’s] one on one fight,” she added.
“Let the bygones be bygones” - Manu Bhaker on overcoming Tokyo 2020 adversity to script Paris 2024 history
The redemption arc of Manu Bhaker has been an incredibly heartwarming one for all Indian sports fans as well as neutral watchers. The young star faced the ignominy of having her weapon malfunction in her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020. However, she has since put that memory on the back burner and opted to focus on her ‘dream’ podium finish at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics.
“Tokyo is long bygone for me, and I've learned to let the bygones be bygones. I have taken my lessons from Tokyo, and I'm so happy and [grateful] that I could make the podium twice in these Olympic Games,” she said in the interview.
The shooter also spoke of her pride in becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games, simply saying:
“I guess all the hard work that me and my team and my coach put in worked out!”
However, Manu Bhaker has no intentions of stopping and has set her sights on the Los Angeles 2028 for further Olympic glory.
“I'm really, really looking forward to the next edition of the Olympic Games already. Definitely, it [podium finish] is a very memorable part of any athlete's career because the Olympics is any athlete's dream. The same goes for me as well. It's my dream, and I have crossed it halfway. I'm halfway through, but still [have] a little way left to cover,” she said.