PARIS: She is already a legend. Even if she fails to add to the two Olympic medals she won over the past few days, Manu Bhaker's legacy will be intact.
Yet, she is not content. She loves the 25m pistol, the event in which she secured the Olympic quota, and knows well that she is chasing an unprecedented achievement in Indian sport — first Indian, post-independence or otherwise, to win three medals in a single edition of the Games.
In sporting parlance, she is 'in the zone' — that state of peak performance every athlete aspires to reach. Its a space where the world blurs into nothingness, and her focus sharpens and that tiny target swells into a ball.
If winning a bronze in her first event, the 10m air pistol, was considered remarkable, coming back a day later to shoot in the mixed 10m air pistol, teaming up with Sarabjot Singh, qualifying and helping her team to the final was even more astounding. The result: Her second bronze of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It is all about the 20-minute walk that takes Manu to the Games Village. Her coach Jaspal Rana, who is staying outside, finds time to speak with her on the way to the Village after every event and those 20 minutes are utilised to speak about her game. Then, she forgets about the medals and concentrates on the next day. “That relaxes her and then we forget about the medals won and concentrate on the next game,” Jaspal had earlier.
In the Village, she is on her own. Manu loves her solitude and usually is not one for a casual chat with teammates, unless it is required. It's always about sport and nothing else. It was remarkable when Manu came back a couple of days later in her beloved 25m pistol event and shot some of her best rounds to qualify for the final in second place with 590 points.
No Indian shooter has ever qualified for the final in three events in shooting. The way she is hitting the mark, a third medal is within her grasp. Any medal will make her the most decorated Olympic athlete India have ever produced.
One needs a lot more than just composure to stand in the stations, day after day, and shoot for a place in the final. More so after winning medals. She seemed grounded and medals did not deter her from concentrating on the job in hand. The talent was always there and the hunger too. Manu has been stressing that she wasn't enjoying the sport as much as she is now. The crying and sobbing that the world saw after the Tokyo events has vanished. She has reunited with Jaspal, her coach from her junior days, and the two have set out to carve India’s greatest legacy.
The 22-year-old has been immaculate with her rounds during the qualifications, with more tens than other numbers. On Friday, at times, she seemed invincible. Now she just has to carry that aura into Saturday.
Manu had been working on her mental side of her game. She believes she had honed the technique and its the mind that is going to give her medals here. Thats what she has been doing but without a professional psychologist. “My coach is my psychologist and he takes care of everything,” she had said.
The new found love for violin too has helped her ease stress. When she walks out on Saturday with the weapon in hand, exactly a week after she won her first medal of the Games, she will not just be taking aim at a target but at destiny. The Chateauroux shooting ranges are waiting to witness one of the greatest feats in Indian sport.