Kolkata : Manu Bhaker, an Indian Shooter, who became a household name after scripting history in Paris Olympics 2024.
From failing to fire in Olympics 2021,to securing double glories in Olympics 2024, Manu came a long way. In the Olympic 2024, she clinched 2 Bronze Medals in 10m Air Pistol, becoming first female shooter to win medal for India. She was also close to winning her 3rd medal in 25m Air Pistol Shooting but narrowly missed it even after leading the chart for a while.
“I know how difficult it is to finish fourth,” said Manu at the Tata Steel Trailblazers 3.0 Conclave organised by RevSportz. “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 said in conversation with Boria Majumdar.
Manu has been talented since her younger days, winning her Commonwealth Games medal at the age of 16, so young, that she didn’t even realize it’s importance. Overall, she has bagged 2 medals at the Olympic Games, 7 medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships, and 21 medals at the World Championships and World Cups.
She also stated that India have good coaches and athletes, what we can do is to invest in right things.
“I didn’t realise the importance of it when I won a Commonwealth Games medals for the first time. I was 16 years old. It was difficult for me to understand. Then, I realised. We can get to greater heights. We have the talent in our country. There are able coaches and athletes. We just have to make sure that we are investing in the right things.”
Manu appreciating the abilities of female and female athletes reflected that India have the capability to win much more that just Bronze, implying that, our athletes have full potential to win Gold medals. If they believe in themselves, they can make difference.
“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.
