BHAKER, HISTORY-MAKER

There she stood with one hand in her pocket and the other holding the air pistol – her weapon.

- INDRANEEL DAS

The hall at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre was rather warm and the air was grave. There were quite a few tense Indian faces in the stands. Manu Bhaker was in the first Olympic final of her career but she did not fetter. She converted the stage into her own gladiatorial theatre, delivering shot after shot with such precision that the tiny black dot in the centre looked like a big circle. She won India’s first medal, bronze, at the Paris Olympics. The gold and silver in 10m air pistol went to two Koreans — Oh Ye Jin (gold) and (Kim Yeji).

hours before the final, her coach Jaspal rana, who is staying outside the village, was waiting for the shuttle at the Chateauroux railway station. he sat among the audience and there were occasional glances at him from Manu during the gruelling competition. he was smiling and greeting everyone but that was just a facade. On the day she qualified for the final, there were tears in his eyes. This success is as much about him as it is about Manu.