In 2018, a confidential report, sent to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) by one of the coaches, said that more than 70 per cent of India’s shooters underperformed at every major event. The report attributed this dip to pressure and the inability to self-regulate. It also noted that while India had a lot of talent, we lacked sports science.
Manu Bhaker’s performance in Tokyo illustrated the point. In the rapid-fire segment of the 25m pistol, Bhaker had a good three seconds to shoot a bullet. When she held her nerve, and utilised close to the allotted time, she ended up with scores of 10.7-10.9 (where only 10 is recorded); the only time she fired a shot in 1.7 seconds, she got an 8. She failed to make the final by two points.
There’s no questioning Bhaker’s talent. What she lacked is what Abhinav Bindra—still the lone Indian to win gold in an individual event in shooting—refers to as “the decisive 1 per cent”. After London 2012 (he had won gold in Beijing 2008), Bindra modelled his entire training on sports science and came closest in Rio (2016) to winning his second Olympic medal. That’s what these young shooters needed to do: make use of sports science and learn to handle pressure.
Another coach said, on condition of anonymity: “You ask: Why do we win World Cups, but not Olympic medals? When they shoot at World Cups, they know the next event is just a month away. ‘If not here, then at the next event’ is the thought process. But at the Olympics, they are not certain of a next chance four years down the line.” This now-or-never pressure at the Olympics, he said, was a big factor affecting performance.
Manu, from what we have seen in Hangzhou, has mastered the handling of pressure. It couldn’t have been easy for her. After Tokyo, she was incessantly trolled and abused on social
media. She was humiliated and insulted. A lot was said and written. And then, she lost form for a while. A number of young shooters moved past her. I remember speaking to her multiple times in this period, and each time she did not lose hope. “I will do what is in my hands and Tokyo has taught me a lot,” she used to say. “The social media abuse, the name calling, it’s not pleasant, you see. But then that’s the kind of world we are in. We need to get immune to these things and know what we stand for. It is about what we feel. Not what others feel.”
Today, against a Chinese opponent, Manu was up against it. She had a four-point lead going into her rapid series. Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan had set it up for India. Manu knew she couldn’t fail. If she did, India would fail. That’s what pressure is all about. It was fantastic to see her stand up to it. She was incredible in the series, and a score of 590 sealed the gold for India.
This will mean a lot to her. To her family. It is for India, and it is for her. The decisive 1 percent. Now she has a chance to add to the team gold in the individual final. Knowing Manu well, don’t put it past her.