New Delhi: Manu Bhaker won India’s first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday after bagging bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event. The 22-year-old from Jhajjar, Haryana scripted history at the Paris Games by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics. Bhaker finished third in the final with a score of 221.7 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.
Bhaker started the final in an emphatic fashion and quickly gained the 2nd position in the overall rankings after scoring 50.4 with her first five shots. In what was a hard-fought final, the Indian shooter eventually finished third as South Koreans Kim Yeji and Oh Ye Jin shared the top two spots between them.
Oh Ye Jin won the gold medal with an impressive score of 243.2 which saw her create a new Olympic record while Kim Yeji settled for a silver with 241.3 points. Bhaker, who was the first Indian woman since Suma Shirur (2004) to reach the final of an individual event in Olympic shooting, ended India’s 12-year-long medal drought in the sport with her bronze.
Bhaker’s bronze medal is India’s first in shooting since Gagan Narang’s bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Speaking after bagging her maiden Olympic medal, Bhaker revealed how lessons from Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita helped her calm her nerves in the final and bag the first medal for her country at the Paris Games.
How lessons from the Gita helped Manu Bhaker win bronze
Opening up on what was going through her mind during the tense final, Bhaker revealed being an avid reader of the Bhagavad Gita, she remembered Lord Krishna’s words to Arjuna during the Mahabharata and was only focused on the process.
“Karma karo fal ki chinta mat karo (Focus on your karmas not on the outcomes),” Lord Krishna had told Arjuna during the Mahabharata. Citing Lord Krishna’s words from Gita, Bhakar revealed she was not worried about the result and wanted to focus on her ‘karma’ during the final.
“I read a lot of Gita. Just do what you are supposed to do and leave, you can’t control the destiny, you can’t control the outcome. In Gita, Krishna says to Arjuna focus on your Karma and not on the outcome of the Karma. Only that was running in my mind,” Bhaker told Jio Cinema after winning bronze in women’s 10m air pistol event.
You’ve truly made us proud! ❤️
Manu Bhaker has made history by clinching India’s first medal at #Paris2024! 🇮🇳 Watch more Olympic action live on #Sports18 & stream for FREE on #JioCinema! 👈#OlympicsonJioCinema #OlympicsonSports18 #Cheer4Bharat #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/qQlE8ZEJ2x
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) July 28, 2024
Manu revealed it was a surreal feeling for her to win the first medal for India at the Paris Games and lauded the entire shooting contingent for their hard work ahead of the Olympics. The 22-year-old said she was proud of her effort and gave her all in the final till her final shots to ensure she didn’t drop out of the top three.
“The entire team has worked really hard. Personally, the feeling for me is surreal. I feel that I did a good job. I put in a lot of effort and even till the last shot I was fighting with all the energy I had. This was a bronze but I am really grateful that I could win a bronze for India,” Manu added.
Manu became only the fifth Indian shooter after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang to win an Olympic medal. She will now be hoping to bag another medal when she pairs up with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed team 10m air pistol event in Paris.
Manu Bhaker revealed how lessons from Lord Krishna and Bhagavad Gita helped her focus on ‘karma’ in the women’s 10m air pistol shooting final and win India’s first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 22-year-old shooter created history by becoming the first Indian female shooter to win a medal at the Olympics. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
