Paris Olympics 2024: Manu Bhaker’s ‘still I rise’ tattoo an inspiration of a lifetime

New Delhi: Indian shooter Manu Bhaker has claimed all the spotlight and for all the right reasons, becoming the first to open India’s account at the Paris Olympics 2024. On the second day of the grand event, Bhaker participated in the final of women’s 10m air pistol after qualifying for it a day earlier. She bagged a podium finish and received a bronze for her excellence. She has been receiving warm wishes and congratulatory messages from all over the nation.

The triumph was indeed historic as she notably became the first Indian female shooter to win an Olympic medal. Her South Korean competitors clinched the silver and the gold medal but 22-year-old Bhaker’s bronze triumph is of great gravity for Indians. The Haryana girl has talked about perseverance and determination in sports several times and as it turns out, she implemented something similar in her Olympic journey.

Tattoo, an inspiration…

Bhaker aimed to recover from her Tokyo horrors where at the 2020 Summer Games, she had a pistol malfunction and made an exit. As it seems, the blow stayed with her for a long time as she brilliantly turned it (Tokyo failure) into inspiration in the form of a “Still I rise” tattoo on her neck. The motivational quote helped her make her way to the top and bag a bronze in the pistol event in the French capital.

Bhaker opened up about the tattoo saying that she had planned it for some time and chose the back of her neck to keep it private. “Tokyo is the past; ‘Still I Rise’ is my motivation to keep moving forward,” Bhaker was quoted as saying by independent sports journalist Saurabh Duggal, as she reflected on her Olympic success and future aspirations.

The phrase comes from Maya Angelou’s poem which is a great example of overcoming adversity, being resilient, and defying the odds. For Bhaker, the tattoo is of great value as it represents her journey including all the setbacks she faced and her willingness to leave it all behind to rise from failures. “Success and failure are part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life. The key is how you handle the downfall and prepare yourself to bounce back,” Bhaker had said during an event in Chandigarh last year.

Bhaker’s career brims with achievements that only a handful might be capable of. She won a gold in the 10m air pistol at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the tender age of 16 and amassed nine gold and two silver medals in World Cups before Tokyo. Her Tokyo performance was a dismal affair as she faced challenges in the 10m air pistol and the mixed team event and also failed to make it to the finals in the 25m pistol event. She was criticised thoroughly and also lost her spot in the national squad.

Despite all the setbacks, her perseverance saw her win a bronze in the 25m pistol at the World Cup held earlier this year and medals in team events at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023. She carries a great piece of advice with her which she has very well inculcated in herself – “When you are down, the key is never to give up and stay consistent in your hard work.”

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 Manu Bhaker won a historic bronze medal for India, entering the history books as the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics. Her success mantra turns out to be a tattoo that she opted for after the Tokyo failure.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today