For Manu Bhaker, the bronze medal win at the Paris Games was nothing short of redemption, especially after thoughts of quitting the sport hit her not too long ago. Not that her performances were not up to the mark, but there could have been a definite lack of motivation.

But all those thoughts were past her once she landed in Paris, hoping to get over from the heartbreak in Tokyo three years ago when a technical snag in her Pistol left her shattered. An unusual distaste for the Summer Games in the Japanese capital city was the usual thought when she recalls the Games that took place in closed doors immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic.

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“In Tokyo, things didn’t go my way, but that thought took a while to sink in. An element of self-doubt whether I belonged to that level prevailed, and then the malfunction in the weapon was the last thing any shooter would expect in a major competition like the Olympics,” Manu had previously said in an interview with The Statesman.

While she had made peace with all that transpired in Tokyo, Manu went on to win two World Championship medals in the next Olympic cycle, and nailed her practices, trials, before making it to the Paris Games.

So what has changed in Manu in the last Olympic cycle?

“Three things, mainly, approach, maturity, and calmness during high pressure situations. Also there’s been a change in approach towards competitions and training, as I realised that I need to be bold, and enjoy myself during competitions without wasting too much time thinking about the outcome. The process is what has changed over the years,” she quipped.

On Sunday, during the women’s 10m Air Pistol event final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Manu, now 22, broke into a smile after she missed a silver by 0.1, the barest of margins to end as India’s first ever female Olympic medalist in shooting.

Also this was India’s first shooting medal after 12 years after Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar won it in London as Indian shooting endured two Olympics without a medal.

In her first-ever interaction after opening India’s medal tally in Paris, the Jhajjar-born Manu said that the feeling was surreal although she wishes to change the colour of her medal in the future.

“I wish India to bag as many medals as possible, and we are looking forward to participating in as many events as we can this time. The entire team has worked very hard, and personally, the feeling is surreal. I feel that I did a good job and put in a lot of effort. Even in the last shot, I was fighting with all the energy I had. This was a bronze, and I am grateful that I could win a bronze for India. Maybe next time will be better,” said Manu.

“Honestly, I read a lot of the Gita, and what was going through my mind was to just do what I was meant to do. In the Gita, Krishna tells Arjun to focus on the karma and not the outcome, so that was all I was thinking about,” she added.

Family hails govt support

Manu’s parents Ram Kishan Bhaker and Sumedha Bhaker said that the support from the government and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has been instrumental in their daughter’s career, even as her grandmother has already planned a grand welcome for the young markswoman.

“This is a proud moment not only for the family but for the entire nation. She’s representing 1.4 billion Indians and we as parents back her through all ups and downs. She has two more events and we expect her to do better,” said Ram Kishan in a brief chat.

“I would also thank the government and the federation (NRAI) for supporting Manu and all the athletes competing at the Olympics. Hopefully, we can return with a record medal haul from Paris,” he added.