Manu Bhaker.
Credit: PTI
Chateauroux : Moment Manu Bhaker walked into the mixed zone for the waiting media after becoming the first ever Indian athlete to win two medals in the same Olympic Games, the first question posed to her from a journalist was “do you consider yourself to be a legend of Indian sports now?”
Bhaker is just 22 years old but vastly experienced considering her rise to prominence since winning a medal as a bubbly teenager at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
She was prepared for such posers. Sporting a wide smile, Bhaker said it is too big a statement to make considering her journey has just started and she still looks up to stars like Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu for inspiration.
“I can’t call myself that (legend). If people call me that then I’m grateful they do but my journey will continue and it’s not stopping for me. I will keep working hard no matter if I win or lose. You guys are making me realise (the magnanimity of the achievement). I have always looked forward to athletes like Neeraj and Sindhu who have always been able to prove themselves. There are my seniors and I can’t compete with them.”
Bhaker said she is a strong believer in karma and knew all her hard word would attain fruition some day. “I always believe in karma. Whatever is yours will come to you. I’m a firm believer that if you work hard and are honest with your work and not pretending to work hard, you will definitely attain success. One should never give up. I didn’t hope to win two medals at a single Olympics. It still feels surreal.”
Bhaker then signed off saying her focus now is on winning a third medal when she takes aim in the individual 25m pistol event. “One more match to go and I’m going to give my best. Every athlete who competes for India wants to win a medal and my goal is to win as many as possible. I hope the love stays always.”