New Delhi: Ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker admitted that she got a bit nervous during his final match of the women’s 25m pistol event as she finished fourth to miss out on an unmatched third medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Saturday. Bhaker already scripted history after becoming the first Indian athlete to bag a record two medals at a single edition of the Olympics and was on the verge of a third but it wasn’t her day as it turned out.
The 22-year-old opened her and India’s tally at the Games with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event and followed it up with another bronze medal alongside Sarabjot Singh in the mixed team 10m air pistol event. After her 25m pistol final match on Saturday, Manu was honest as she admitted she was anxious about it despite trying to stay calm.
“I got like really nervous about it, but again, I was trying my best to keep calm and to just try to do my best. But that was not enough,” Manu said after the match. She looked clearly dejected after she aggregated 28 in the match played between the eight qualified shooters but lost to eventual bronze medallist Veronika Major of Hungary in the shoot-off.
“It (Olympics) turned out to be very good for me, but well, there’s always a next time so I’m already looking forward to the next one. I’m glad that I got two medals, but right now, I’m not very… well, fourth place is not a very good place,” a teary-eyed Manu said.
Manu and her training
Manu also admitted that she knew very little of what was going outside including the appreciation that she was receiving from the past few days. She didn’t want to be distracted by all the expectations around her and was completely off. “Honestly, I’ve been off the social media and I have not been checking my phone, so I don’t know what’s going on. But I just know that I was trying my best and I was trying to deliver a good performance,” she said.
She further added in most of the events, she was able to deliver well but couldn’t in the 25m one. She had already set her eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics the moment her final was over. “The moment my match was over, I was like, ‘okay, the next time’,” the Haryana girl said.
Manu reflected on the hard work that she and her team have been up to on the backstage saying that people just see her in action but there’s a lot that goes at the back in her training so that she can take the shooting range. “I am so happy that my entire team was there for me to support me throughout my journey,” Manu added.
Manu Bhaker admitted that she was nervous about her 25m pistol final match where she finished fourth on the leaderboard and missed out on an unprecedented third medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
