The fickle nature of sport was on view once again, and the Chateauroux Shooting Centre at the Paris Olympics was the setting this time.
It was India at the centre of proceedings as it was a disappointing opening to the shooting competition on Saturday. Manu Bhaker had redeemed the show somewhat, and the 22-year-old stepped up once more to made it a Super Sunday with bronze in women’s 10m Air Pistol. It could have been silver for the World No 5, but Manu was grateful in acceptance.
India’s first medal in the sport at the Olympics since 2012, and Manu’s feat as the first Indian woman shooter to find the podium at the Olympics wasn’t the only point of celebration. Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal set the foundation for a piece of history of their own by making the final in their respective categories in 10m Air Rifle.
The duo’s fate and whether India can exorcise the ghosts of Tokyo 2021 with another set of medals will be known on Monday, but Manu created her karma on Sunday by doing what she firmly believes in — accomplishing the controllables.
The weapon malfunction in Tokyo was beyond her control, and a setback that also had Manu contemplate walking away.
Picking herself up was tough, but it was the lessons from the Bhagvad Gita that have her strength, and built resolve to prove that Tokyo was a cruel twist of fate.
It was easier said than done as the clouds of doubt were thick and heavy, but Manu took her time, and once she decided that the shooting range was where she belonged, all the other pieces started to fall together.
Her family and coach as bedrocks of support, Manu clawed back, and claimed her place in the pantheon of Indian shooting greats.
After shooting 580 in qualification, there was optimism all around that her promising start would lead to a medal. But the hype would not have swayed Manu as she kept drawing from the Gita quietly.
“The mindset should be to work hard and strive for success, if the hard work doesn’t pay off, the satisfaction of giving off your best will stay,” Manu had said during a recent interaction.
“Staying honest to one’s self is the key to success,” has been her mantra, and surging towards her goal with a clear mind paid off.
Shooting consistent scores, Manu stayed top-3 in the final throughout, and finished 221.7 after 22 shots. Silver medallist Kim Ye Ji of Korea had to dig deep for silver as at one point Manu was just 0.1 back before being eliminated.
After that, was a Korean tussle for gold and silver, and Oh Ye Jin (243.2) pipped Kim (241.3) to the top spot.
A picture of poise, Manu presented the bigger picture while putting her medal in perspective. “The feeling is surreal as India was due for one (medal), I am just a medium,” she said.
After Vijay Kumar’s silver in men’s 25 rapid fire pistol and Gagan Narang’s bronze in men’s 10m air rifle at the 2012 London Games, India has been starved of success, and Manu expressed optimism that her success would be a trigger for more medals in Paris.
Admitting that emerging out of Tokyo took a lot out of her, Manu’s comeback is vindication of her can-do spirit. “You can’t control destiny, what you can is your karma, and for me what matters is the present,” she said.
In her moment of triumph, Manu paid tribute to her support systems. “The team worked very hard, and a big shout to my family, coaches and sponsors; you make life so easy.”
Ramita too put to rest the past, and focused on getting better. After missing out in 10m air rifle mixed team on Saturday, Ramita raised her performance several notches to make the Women’s 10m Air Rifle final after being placed fifth in qualification with a 631.5.
There was no respite for Elavenil Valarivan though. After failing to qualify for the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team medal round, the 24-year-old had to cope with disappointment again, finishing 10th with a score of 630.7.
Korea’s Hyojin Ban broke the Olympic Qualification Record en-route topping the qualification with 634.5.
Arjun Babuta too started on the path to redeeming himself. After disappointing in the mixed event on Saturday, Arjun finished 7th in men’s qualification with a score of 630.1, and will have a shot at the podium on Monday.
Sandeep Singh, the other Indian in fray, missed out, shooting 629.3 to finish 12th.