Manu Bhaker rediscovering love for shooting after Tokyo low

The first thing Manu Bhaker did after returning from Tokyo was to plan a family vacation. She was desperate to have a break after the disappointment of the Olympics.

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Refreshed, she immediately got back into competitive mode at the world junior championships in Peru in September-October, where she bagged four gold medals and a bronze. The 19-year-old continued her winning spree with a clutch of medals at the recent senior nationals. Bhaker became the 10m air pistol champion for the second successive time, also claiming bronze in the 25m pistol.

Returning to the range after Tokyo was tough for the youngster, who featured in three events at the Olympics but could not qualify for the final in any of them. Be it weapon malfunction or the controversy surrounding her bitter split with then national junior coach Jaspal Rana, it was difficult for the teenager to get rid of the swirling memories of the Tokyo Games. She was reduced to tears in the 25m pistol. Despite losing time due a technical glitch in her weapon, Bhaker gallantly fought back, but fell short of finishing among the top eight who qualified for the final.

“You can try to forget things but it will always be there at the back of your head. You can just take it positively or negatively; that depends on the individual but we cannot just forget it,” Bhaker says of her Tokyo performance.

The family vacation helped her rediscover her love for the sport and introspect.

“I just wanted to start my game because I was not feeling comfortable and adapted to the environment. I was unhappy without shooting. Eventually I realised I always loved to shoot. I am not there to make people proud or something. I just wanted to make myself happy, and if possible then make my people and my country also happy. I was trying to do my best but unfortunately could not do it.”

She was carrying enormous expectations in Tokyo. Since she shot to fame as a precocious teenaged talent during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where she won gold in 10m air pistol as a 16-year-old, Bhaker was tipped as a strong Olympic medal prospect.

And she lived up to the expectations too. She won seven gold medals at the ISSF World Cup, five of them coming with Saurabh Chaudhary in the mixed team event. Their pairing was unstoppable until they hit the rough patch in Tokyo.

On a hot, sultry day at the Asaka Shooting Range in Tokyo, Bhaker boldly faced the media. A barrage of questions surrounding her form, coach and the decision to shoot in three events in her first Olympics came, but Bhaker handled them with the poise and calm of a seasoned professional.

“It definitely hurts not to win a medal. Sometimes things just happen. We cannot change it now. We can just learn from it and move ahead. People evolve with time,” says Bhaker.

“The good part was that it was my first Olympics and not many people get the opportunity to shoot in an Olympics. The entire experience of being part of a team, the team spirit that we shared within the shooting team, the entire Indian contingent, even with teams from other countries, was amazing.

“Before going to the Olympics, I never gave it a thought how things will be like there. I wanted to keep it blank and see for myself what the experience would be,” she says.

As for her training, Bhaker wants to continue with her earlier routines.

“Earlier also I used to train alone and I don’t think things will change. I have never trained under a personal coach. Jaspal sir was there and he only used to come for some competitions. So, I am not used to having a personal coach around me during training. I have prepared for nationals alone. Let’s see if NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) prefers a coach, and will see what happens from here,” she says.

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