Twin bronze medal winner at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker, has had a long journey to stardom. The young shooter made history in the Paris Games, becoming the first Indian to bag two medals in the same Olympics. Now sitting at the top of India’s sporting echelon, Manu shared a throwback picture, showcasing how it all started for her as far as shooting is concerned. In a post on social media, Manu shared a picture of her and a few of her mates from school doing shooting practice.

Fast forward to today, Manu is one of India’s most decorated Olympians in history.

Manu, recently, also spoke of her journey, especially after the setback she encountered in the Tokyo Olympics.

“My journey, coming from the Tokyo Olympics, it was very difficult for me to be confident again. I was world number two, but I did not do good in it. I know the taste of losing and then winning. It’s the beauty of sports. One competition you lose, and you can win the other. But, it would only happen if you put in hard work,” said Bhaker.

“To achieve the goal, we must put in a lot of hard work and effort. It doesn’t always start with aiming for something big, you also have to work to achieve it. If you can dream big, you can achieve big. So, always start by dreaming big. I always tell myself that no matter if I win or lose in any competition, I’ll always be very confident and hold myself high and together, and be very confident. We have many career options. You don’t have to become a doctor or an engineer. Sports life is a beautiful life. From financial support to any kind of it, you get everything in sports,” she added.

Manu also emphasised on the importance of respecting ones cultural backgrounds, having trained and competed all across the globe.

“I have had eight and a half years in my shooting career. I have travelled almost half of the world. I have seen different kinds of people and cultures, their backgrounds and struggles, and also known their journeys. We should never be ashamed of where we come from — the cultural background.

“You should carry it with pride, and you should be proud of yourself, how far you have come, and you have a long way to go. I never knew English, how to talk to people, and many other things I never knew. But, I taught myself. People helped me to learn different things. You can always approach a teacher or your parents to learn something new. You can always ask somebody to teach you,” she asserted.

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Manu Bhaker