Manu Bhaker and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker marked a major milestone in her career on Tuesday as she celebrated 10 years of competitive shooting in an emotional manner on social media. The 24-year-old bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics looked back at the highs, lows and lessons that shaped her rise from a teenage prodigy to one of India’s biggest sports stars.
Watch
Munaf Patel questions the appointment of Morne Morkel, Sitanshu Kotak“Today I completed ten years in my sport. I could never have imagined that my journey would be so beautiful, so successful and inspiring,” Bhaker wrote on Instagram alongside memories from different stages of her career.Recalling her obsession with the sport in her early years, the shooter wrote: “I remember getting my first Indian team jersey and I would never take it off! Even in the summer.”
Manu Bhaker Instagram post (Screengrab)
She also opened up about the tough stages of her journey, especially after narrowly missing out on medals despite strong performances.“Honestly, I felt defeated so many times,” she admitted, recalling her fifth-place finishes at the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games despite winning the qualifying rounds in both editions.Bhaker also bounced back from her breakthrough year in 2018 when she won Commonwealth Games gold in Australia at just 16 years old. “It gave me confidence and I can’t thank you all enough for giving me so much support and love,” she wrote.Her post came a day after an interaction at the 75th anniversary of the NRAI in Delhi sparked an online debate. Bhaker was asked about teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with several social media users later criticizing the line of questioning for shifting attention away from her own achievements.Responding calmly to a question about Sooryavanshi’s rise, Bhaker emphasized the importance of mentoring and support systems for young athletes. “If the mentorship is good, the company around it is good, and the people around it are good, then age is just a number,” she said.The exchange sparked a wider online debate about the dominance of cricket stories over achievements in other Indian sports.
