Indian shooter Manu Bhaker fought back tears after narrowly missing out on a historic third individual medal at the Olympics on Saturday. In the 25m sports pistol final, Bhaker finished fourth, just shy of the podium. Earlier in the Games, she had secured two bronze medals in the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh.
Reflecting on her performance, the 22-year-old admitted, “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.” Bhaker’s final score of 28 in the eight-shooter final led to a shoot-off with Hungary’s Veronika Major, who ultimately claimed the bronze medal.
Despite the disappointment, Bhaker expressed gratitude for her achievements, saying, “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,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
Bhaker also shared that she wasn’t distracted by external expectations, having consciously stayed off social media to focus on her performance. “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.”
Looking ahead, Bhaker is already setting her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “The moment my match was over, I was like, ‘okay, the next time’,” she remarked with determination.
Acknowledging the support system behind her success, Bhaker said, “There has been a lot of hard work going on backstage. Like I’m here – what you see – but like so many people have been working hard so that I can make it to the podium and so that India can win a medal. I am so happy that my entire team was there for me to support me throughout my journey.”
