CHATEAUROUX (FRANCE): There was a time, not too long ago, when India would start holding its breath right after the opening ceremony, wondering when that elusive Olympic medal would come. And when it did, it would spark wild celebrations, so euphoric that the rest of the Games would pass by unnoticed. Indeed, until 2008, only once in the history of independent India had its Olympians come home with more than a single medal.
If anyone needs any more evidence that those times are long past, then just look at Manu Bhaker. Most athletes spend years and years training, hoping and praying for an Olympic medal. A select few get their wish. There's a more exclusive Indian club; athletes who win multiple Olympic medals across their career. With two medals in three days, Manu has joined that club.
Unless one extends the definition of being an Indian to include British athlete Norman Pritchard who competed under the flag of British India in 1900, Manu is the first Indian to bag multiple medals in a single edition of the Games. For a nation that eight years ago won only two medals in the entire Rio Olympics, Manu's achievement transcends reality and borders fantasy.
“The feeling is still surreal. I did not think I would be winning two medals in one Olympics,” said Manu after winning the mixed bronze medal with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed 10m air pistol competition on Tuesday.
Even before the duo had completed their achievement, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air. A sprinkling of Indian fans in the stands started yelling her name when Sarabjot and Manu walked out to shoot against the South Korean pair of Oh Ye-Jin (women gold medallist) and Lee Won-Ho (missed a medal in the final). The contest was pretty one-sided with Oh missing the 10s more frequently than her partner Ho. If in the beginning Manu more than made up for Sarabjot’s shaky start, the latter compensated for Manu’s less than ideal end game. It was a big team effort that eventually led them to the podium.
For Manu, this achievement means that she has exorcised the ghosts of Tokyo. A lot has already been written about her. If she had already been to a Summer Games before, Sarabjot is raw talent from a place not known for producing shooters.
Trained by coach Abhishek Rana in a nondescript training facility in Ambala, Sarabjot flourished over the last eight years. Sarabjot’s story too is fascinating considering that it was chance that led him to lift a pistol. “It was during a summer camp at school when I was about 14-15 in 2016,” he said.
Sarabjot’s success is as much a story of resilience as it is about steadfast devotion to the sport. His coach would not allow him to ride a bike or ride pillion behind his father, fearing an accident would cause him to miss training. He is not allowed to be on phones and there is a limit to screen time.
Abhishek has become the most important part of his life. He started taking care of him and used to accompany him to all tournaments in the country. The two got used to each other and whenever there had been big tournaments, the coach used to be there like a silent guardian. But unlike Manu’s coach Jaspal Rana, who managed to be by her side at the Games as much as he could, Abhishek could not, because he did not have the necessary accreditation to enter the training facilities.
Abhishek said his travel has been funded through Target Olympics Podium Scheme and he is staying outside the Village, in a hotel. “Even though I have been here since July 21, I met Sarabjot for the first time during the qualification at the venue,” he said. “I did not have accreditation so I was not allowed to meet him. The results of qualifying would have been different if I were with him. Even yesterday (Monday), I was not allowed to meet him but with the help of Jaspal, I went and met him. We discussed yesterday and spoke about the words in the diary he keeps.”
Abhishek tried getting accreditation but unlike Jaspal, he could not. “May be I did not pursue enough,” he said. “This thing will always eat me from inside. If only I was with him for the individual event, things might have been different."