Star Indian shooter Manu Bhaker is a trailblazer in many ways. After India's independence, Manu is the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. She is also the first female shooter to win an Olympic medal. On Thursday, Manu was one of the guests at NDTV Yuva Conclave where the pistol shooter talked on her journey leading up to the Paris Olympics 2024 and the adulation that she received after winning two bronze medals.
The 22-year-old Bhaker scripted history for India in Paris Olympics as she won a bronze each in the women's 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events (paired with Sarabjot Singh).
When asked if she would like to switch her life with one athlete for a day, Manu came up with a bold response.
"Honestly I would not like to switch my life with anybody at all. Chahe bura hi waqt chal rha ho (Even if the time is not good), I would not want to do that," said Manu.
When asked if she would like to do anything apart from shooting, Manu said, "The love of my life is shooting and I want to shoot as long as possible and win as many medals for India as possible. I enjoy to dress up and other things as well but (shooting remains the priority)."
During the interaction, Manu also revealed how she deals with her anger. "I also get angry. But I have learnt to chanelise my anger into something positive. That is really important for a sportsperson."
When it comes to sports, especially in Olympics, Haryana has provided some of the finest athletes to the country, but mostly in the form of boxers and wrestlers. Manu Bhaker developed a contrasting taste, however, only after trying sports like tennis, skating and boxing in school.
Sports was where Manu's passion lied, and she also excelled in a form of martial arts called 'thang ta', winning medals at the national level. Bhaker eventually took to shooting just as fish takes to water, giving early signs that she was meant to reach the absolute pinnace in the sport.
The journey finally culminated in a glorious moment as she scripted history at Paris Paralympics with two bronze medals.