People often talk of Super Moms in sports. They are the ones who play sport and later bear children and return to the field of play. But if you talk of Super Moms as in the first to groom a child and bring them up, there are many who have worked so hard. When Sania Mirza was an emerging player, her mother Nasima Mirza had a big role to play, in scheduling practice sessions, providing food and arranging transport. Not one session could be missed. That is the care a mother provides.
Back to the most talked-about Indian athlete from Paris 2024, Manu Bhaker’s mother — Sumedha Bhaker — has been a constant support. She is her first coach, even though she may not have taught Manu how to hold the pistol with the right grip. As Manu battles food problems in Chatoreaux, she has not talked of the challenges she faced in her Olympic journey. After winning two bronze medals, she told RevSportz on Wednesday of her travails. “The food is not what I like to eat. Each night is boiled broccoli or some steamed vegetables. It is boring and some days I just eat dry fruits and curd.”
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Manu revealed that she had brought packed food from India, which is not perishable. “I just want to get back home and eat food cooked by my mom after my last match.” At the same time, when RevSportz spoke to Manu’s mother, Sumedha said from India that she was concerned but not worried. Sumedha has been Manu’s first life coach. She taught her the right things in life, how to respect elders, how to prepare for challenges in life at large.
When Manu was in school and her father Ramkishan Bhaker was working as a naval merchant engineer, Sumedha had to do multiple roles. “This six and-a-half year journey with Manu has been a challenge. Yes, every medal from Khelo India days till now in the Olympics is important. Manu likes home food and I have always provided her the right diet. We talk on the phone often and I am aware that the food in France is not of her liking. I am glad she took something from India to eat, else it would have been bad for her,” said the mother.
Spending hours at the shooting ranges in New Delhi, Manu would have starved had her mother not prepared multiple snacks and butter milk. “You know how tough it is to train and then go hungry. Our story of training at the Karni Singh ranges is like a picnic, perhaps, for some. As a mother, I had to take care of her diet, or else how would she cope with these hardships,” said Sumedha, who is also highly educated.
The family runs a school in Jhajjar in Haryana. Before this, the most famous athlete from Jhajjar was Virendra Sehwag. Going by strict definition, a coach is one who imparts training in sports. But if someone can give an award to a mother for being the first coach, Manu’s mom deserves that. “I think all mothers are coaches in their own way, when the child is born. For me, this journey will continue as her mother. I want to see my champion back,” said an emotional Sumedha.
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