Legendary shooter and coach of Manu Bhaker, Jaspal Rana, defended Manu’s decision to showcase her Olympic medals, saying it’s her right after working hard to bring glory to the nation. Both Manu and her coach, speaking at Conclave Mumbai 2024, dismissed the trolls who have repeatedly criticized the young shooter for appearing at public events with her medals.
Manu Bhaker became the first Indian in Independent India to win more than one medal at a single edition of the Olympic Games. She earned a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event and doubled the nation’s tally by partnering with Sarabjot Singh to win another bronze in the 10m mixed pistol event at the Paris Olympics in July-August.
Upon her return to India, Manu received a hero’s welcome and has since become the nation’s darling. The young shooter, currently on a break from competitive action, has been busy attending various felicitation ceremonies. While Manu has been receiving widespread praise, she has also been subjected to online trolling.
“People talk about why is she showing off medals and all those things. That’s her right. She has won them. That’s a good thing, people want to see the medals, Manu with the medals. Before the Olympics, no body invited us anywhere. Let her fly with the medals wherever she goes. We must be proud of her,” Jaspal Rana said.
Conclave Mumbai 2024: Full Coverage
Manu Bhaker, who responded to her trolls on social media on Wednesday, explained that the medals belong to the country. She added that she doesn’t want to refuse when people ask to see her Olympic medals.
“Let me check if I am wearing them today. Oh, not today,” Manu Bhaker said, much to cheers from the audience at Conclave Mumbai 2024.
“It took me eight and a half years to win those medals for India. Those medals, I believe, belong to the country. They are just with me for some time — my entire life. They belong to the country. Whenever I go anywhere, people ask me to show them the medals. They ask me to get my medal along. When they see the medals, a few candid pictures are always clicked. They always get posted on the internet,” she added.
‘LIFE HASN’T CHANGED MUCH AFTER PARIS 2024’
Contrary to expectations, Manu said her life hadn’t changed much after the Olympics, stressing that she is looking forward to returning to the shooting range and resuming training. The young shooter made her intentions clear, saying she is keen on winning more Olympic medals.
“It’s going to be the same. As soon as I go back to the shooting arena, it’s going to be the same. Now that people know you, people want more from you – more medals and better performance. It’s going to be difficult. But what’s good in doing easy things?
“Now, I am getting opportunities to meet different people, every single day. That’s the interesting part. Other than that, I don’t see anything changing,” Manu said.
