S.Kannan in Chateauroux
Manu Bhaker has spent the last six weeks in Europe, around Luxembourg, and then hitting the Chateauroux shooting ranges for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In less than a few hours, Manu will be at the 25-metre sports pistol final hall. She will again aim to hit the ‘inner ring’ and win a historical medal for India, a third in a single edition of the Olympics.
At 22, she has shown distractions can be kept away. Once she returns to India, there will be absolute chaos, if celebrations could be called so. From the time she lands at the IG airport in New Delhi, possibly, in two days, till the felicitation functions are over, she will have no ‘me time.’ Perhaps, being alone in this small city away from Paris and just coach and Master Guru Jaspal Rana for the company for the most part of the day, she has been able to stay focused.
“The next three months, she will not touch any weapon. That is mandatory, after all the efforts she has put in,” Jaspal told RevSportz. Manu was hearing all this. Her gaze was not into empty space, but the future ahead. Yes, the Super Champion will be aiming to shoot for glory and medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. In May 2023, Manu had started hating shooting. Now, she loves it. Her body has got used to shooting, the methods, the madness and the pain. And, of course, the highs of winning medals for India.
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Boris Becker talked of ‘tunnel vision’ when he used to enter the Wimbledon arena in the 80s. He would forget everything till he won the title. For Manu as well, the focus will be back on the LA Olympics, and, before that, the next Asian Games in Japan. A normal athlete would be happy with one Olympic medal. Manu has two bronze medals and could land a third in a few hours in sports pistol.
The best part, she is now enjoying her shooting. When she trains, she is so focused, that nothing can disturb her. That look in her eyes is one of immense concentration and she does smile when she talks to friends. But once she is back in the company of coach Jaspal Rana, the outside world does not exist. Imagine, a young girl telling her parents to stay back in India and not disturb her in Olympic training. Manu will not speak about all this, she respects her privacy. When she has to make her point, she will do it.
One man she listens to is coach Jaspal Rana, her God, her Guru. Manu actually used to read the ‘Mahabharat.” Jaspal told her to start reading the Holy Bhagavad Gita as there are so many lessons in it. For someone who is dealing with weapons and ammunition for hours at a stretch, she relaxes in her own way. Music ear pods, dry practice, meditation and yoga, all that is part of her routine.
Can she launch an assault in 2028 in Los Angeles? This is the key. After the disaster in Tokyo, Manu was crestfallen. She had no ego when she reached out to Jaspal, during the 2023 summer. It is the same coach who wants her to prepare for the next Olympics. “I see no reason why we should not plan for LA after three months. There has to be early planning and a method.” Jaspal told RevSportz. Manu nodded, for she rarely disagrees with Jaspal, her role model who has ensured she could enjoy this campaign for Paris 2024.
The last 13 months were tough, travelling from New Delhi to Dehradun, where Jaspal has his own shooting ranges. They would then shoot trials held by the NRAI (National Rifle Association of India), repeatedly in New Delhi and Bhopal. It is tiring and taxing. Now, Manu is in what athletes call ‘the zone.’ “I am enjoying my shooting, Jaspal Sir has brought the smile back on my face,” she says. It is her inner joy which now matters, and Los Angeles is a journey which will begin in a few months’ time.
“These medals are for India, that’s all I will say,” says Manu. Manu, will you prepare for Los Angeles, 2028? Simple answer: “Yes.”
That’s it, Manu Bhaker wants more medals and she will slog for it. All because she is enjoying the process and trying to attain perfection.
Also Read: Air conditioners, sleep pods and ice baths – How India are trying to win outside the Olympic arenas