Indian shooter Manu Bhaker was inspired by Mary Kom when she saw the veteran boxer win a Bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. She wanted to take up the gloves but instead picked up a gun. At only 19, she participated in her maiden Olympics in Tokyo 2021.

There were lofty expectations from the youngster but things turned south due to a gun malfunction. Bhaker had to face what many athletes of the modern era face in the social media world, abuse, trolling and whatnot. 

The road ahead was going to be difficult. She even split with her coach, Jaspal Rana and even thought of quitting the sport. However, the tables turned and she reunited with her coach.

Come the second day of action in the Paris Olympics 2024, Bhaker became the first woman Indian shooter to win a medal at the Games. Furthermore, she also ended India’s 12-year-long wait to win a medal in shooting, with the last coming back in the London Olympics when Gagan Narang won Bronze.

Bhaker missed the Silver medal with a margin of 0.1 but she was happy to win a medal for the country.

After confirming her bronze, Manu spoke to the broadcasters about her bronze. “I put in a lot of effort; I was fighting with all the energy I had, even at the end,” she said. “This is a bronze… but I’m happy I could win a bronze for the country”

Asked how she’d kept calm in the pressure zone of the medal shootoff, she said: “I read a lot of the Gita. As Lord Krishna says, ‘Focus on karma, not on the outcome of the karma.’ That’s what I did… I thought, ‘do your thing and let it all be.’ “

“After Tokyo I was very disappointed…. however, I came back stronger. Let the past remain in the past.”

Bhaker will also play a Bronze medal match with Sarabjot Singh against South Korea on Tuesday.