Paris, July 28
Manu Bhaker cut a forlorn figure as the women's 10m Air Pistol event ended in the Tokyo Olympic Games, tearfully ruminating on the cruel hand dealt to her by fate, which resulted in her pistol jamming at the most inappropriate moment and resulted in her losing time and focus during the qualifying stage.
Manu, the heavy favourite to win the medal after some superb performances in the World Cups, eventually finished 12th and failed to qualify for the final while in the 25m pistol event, she could only manage 15th position.
From those nightmarish moments three years ago, Manu's life has come full circle in Paris on Sunday, making history for the country.
In a tale of resilience and redemption, the 22-year-old Manu scripted history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming the first Indian female shooter to win an Olympic medal. Her bronze in the Women's 10m Air Pistol event not only ended India's 12-year-long wait for an Olympic medal in shooting but also marked a triumphant comeback after the heartbreaking debut at Tokyo in the 2020 edition rescheduled by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three years ago, Manu returned from her maiden Olympics empty-handed, having failed to meet the high expectations placed upon her. Competing in three events, she experienced a series of setbacks, leaving her disheartened and questioning her future in the sport.
By 2023, Bhaker found herself disillusioned with shooting. The sport she once loved felt more like a monotonous job, and the spark that fueled her passion seemed to have faded. Contemplating quitting to pursue higher education abroad, she reached a critical juncture in her career.
In a pivotal moment, Manu decided to reach out to her former coach, Jaspal Rana, despite their public fallout three years ago. The reunion with the decorated tactician and former Asian Games medallist rekindled her passion for shooting. After the two decided to forget the past, Manu and Rana began working together again, reigniting her drive and setting focus on the next big target: the Paris Olympics.
On Sunday, Manu eventually fulfilled that dream.
Born in Jhajjar, Haryana, a state renowned for producing boxers and wrestlers, Manu initially dabbled in various sports like tennis, skating, and boxing. She also excelled in 'thang ta,' a form of martial arts, winning national-level medals. It wasn't until she impulsively decided to try shooting at 14, after the 2016 Rio Olympics, that she found her true calling.
Manu's rise in the shooting world was meteoric. At the 2017 National Shooting Championships, she stunned Olympian Heena Sidhu, winning nine gold medals and setting a new record score in the 10m Air Pistol final. In 2018, she became a teenage sensation by clinching gold at the Commonwealth Games at just 16 in Gold Coast, Australia.
Her success continued with a gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics and another at the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. Manu also secured an Olympic quota with a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Munich ISSF World Cup. However, her Tokyo 2020 debut did not go as planned, adding to her string of disappointments.
Despite the setbacks, Manu's determination never wavered. She became the Junior World Champion in the Women's 10m Air Pistol at Lima (Peru) shortly after Tokyo 2020, won silver at the 2022 Cairo World Championships, and gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou (held in 2023 due to COVID).
In Paris, Manu approached the competition with a renewed mindset. She understood that shooting was just a part of her life and embraced its solitary nature. At 22, she had learned to handle the pressures and rigors of the sport with a calm and composed demeanor. She took to the scriptures and started reading Gita to keep her mind calm.
At the Chateauroux Shooting Centre on Sunday Manu stood on the podium, her bronze medal gleaming. She had shot a score of 221.7, free from the snags that plagued her in Tokyo, and secured her place in India's Olympic history.
Outside the shooting range, Manu found solace in music. She learned to play the violin and was perfecting the tunes of the Indian national anthem. Although she didn't bring her violin to France, she ensured she stayed occupied when not training, maintaining a balance in her life.
The 22-year-old daughter of a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy also had a tattoo behind her back written 'Tokyo is the past, still I rise.'
Reflecting on her journey, Manu said on Sunday, "This medal is for all of us, not just for me."
Her words resonate with the numerous supporters who stood by her as she negotiated the low points of her life to rise to the top.