Paris Olympics: Manu Bhaker admits being 'nervous' during 25m sports pistol final

India’s ace shooter Manu Bhaker on Saturday said she was a bit nervous during the 25m sports pistol final as she finished fourth to miss out on an unprecedented third individual medal at the Olympics here on Saturday.

"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," Manu said after the event.

The 22-year-old had earlier bagged two bronze medals, in women's 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event partnering Sarabjot Singh.


Manu looked dejected after scoring 28 in the eight-shooter final and losing to Hungary's Veronika Major, who went on to win the bronze medal, in the shoot-off.

"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," she said.



"I'm glad that I got two medals, but right now, I'm not very... well, fourth place is not a very good place," said Manu with tears in her eyes.

Manu said she wasn't distracted by all the expectations around her and had completely switched off.

"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," she said.

"In most of the events I was able to (give a good performance), and in this one, I was not able to do as good. The moment my match was over, I was like, 'okay, the next time'," said Manu, already setting her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"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," she said.

"I am so happy that my entire team was there for me to support me throughout my journey," Manu added.

(With PTI inputs)

Making of Manu: Relying on Bhagwad Gita to winning a Olympic medal

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Ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker won a historic bronze medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Sunday. The 22-year-old finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women's Air Pistol event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. She became the first Indian woman to achieve the feat.

Ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker won a historic bronze medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Sunday. The 22-year-old finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women's Air Pistol even..

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An elite athlete gets to bite an Olympic medal after years of blood and sweat and it was no different for 22-year-old Manu Bhaker, who relied on the teachings of Bhagwat Gita to fulfil a long-cherished dream. The first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Summer Games, the Jhajjar-born was rated highly ever since she burst on the scene with the gold in the 10m air pistol at the 2018 Youth Olympics.

An elite athlete gets to bite an Olympic medal after years of blood and sweat and it was no different for 22-year-old Manu Bhaker, who relied on the teachings of Bhagwat Gita to fulfil a long-cherish..

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In a country where Olympic medals are extremely hard to come by, bronze feels as good as gold and Bhaker had to follow a relentless routine prepared by her hard taskmaster coach Jaspal Rana in preparation for her second Olympics. Reading Gita was guiding force for Bhaker.

In a country where Olympic medals are extremely hard to come by, bronze feels as good as gold and Bhaker had to follow a relentless routine prepared by her hard taskmaster coach Jaspal Rana in prepar..

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Harsh lessons from her maiden Olympics coupled with intense training methods around the world proved to be invaluable. For mental preparation, she started reading the Bhagwat Gita after the Tokyo setback and is now a firm believer in karma. "I have become religious after Tokyo but not in an extreme way (laughs). I believe that there is an energy that guides us and protects us. And there is an aura around us that feeds on that energy. I think there should be some faith in God who has created us."

Harsh lessons from her maiden Olympics coupled with intense training methods around the world proved to be invaluable. For mental preparation, she started reading the Bhagwat Gita after the Tokyo set..

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The presence of coach Rana in the stands was also comforting. Their communication through eyes is a constant during competition, giving Bhaker the strength to deal with pressure. Bhaker explained how reuniting with Rana over the last year or so made her a better athlete. "I had figured out where Jaspal sir was sitting in the crowd and I was making sure I was only looking at him and nobody else. Looking at him gives me courage and I am grateful that you know all those years of hard work that we have put in together paid off with this and probably even more," she said.

The presence of coach Rana in the stands was also comforting. Their communication through eyes is a constant during competition, giving Bhaker the strength to deal with pressure. Bhaker explained how..

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