Manu Bhaker becomes first athlete in Independent India to win multiple medals at a single Olympics

Manu Bhaker also won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event.

“Follow the process and the results will follow.” These are the words of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But, after this week, they might belong to another individual. Remember the name; it is Manu Bhaker. The shooter has become the first athlete in Independent India to win multiple medals at a single Olympics.

Manu is a child prodigy and has been a regular in the history books of world shooting. She won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at 16, when kids are expected to go to school. Not Bhaker, as she became the youngest Indian to win the ISSF World Cup in the same year.

But the Olympics, being the grandest of them all, needed her mark. She made it to the Tokyo Olympics with the hope of doing it, but a pistol malfunction meant that she couldn’t give her fullest, as the world saw a teary-eyed 19-year-old walk out of the finals. Just like all champions do, Bhaker went back to the drawing board and reunited with her old coach, Jaspal Rana, with whom she had parted ways before the Tokyo Olympics.

Rana reminded her of the great things she is capable of and it was visible right from the first qualification in Paris. In the individual 10m air pistol, in the finals, she kept her calm to clinch a bronze, which made her the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in women’s shooting. In 24 hours, she partnered with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed team of the same event to make it to the bronze medal match.

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In the medal match, she was up against South Korea, whose Oh Ye Jin beat her to win the gold in the individual event. But, the pressure of facing an Olympic champion did not faze Bhaker, as she followed the process to keep her composure when others including her teammate Sarabjot felt the pressure of a medal match.

Out of the 13 shots each shooter fired in the match, it was only Bhaker who had 10 shots that were greater than 10. It was those nerves of steel that made her create the benchmark that none in Independent India have achieved. The 22-year-old will also be competing in the 25m air pistol event and could well add to her haul of medals..

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