• By Namrata Vijay
  • Sat, 03 Aug 2024 08:34 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Paris Olympics 2024: India's star shooter Manu Bhaker reacted on her successful stint at the ongoing mega event and said that winning those bronze medals was like a dream come true and described her fourth-place finish in the women's 25m pistol event as a bittersweet end to her stint. Hailing from Haryana, Manu would be coming back to India with two Olympic medals- a 10m air pistol bronze and a 10m mixed team air pistol bronze. She fell short of her third Olympic medal in the summit clash on Saturday.

She had won the country's first Olympic medal after she had clinched the bronze in the 10m air pistol event and had also moved on from her disappointing performance at the Tokyo Olympics. Manu and Sarabjot Singh had doubled the country's medal tally by winning the bronze medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event.

She not only ended the country's 12-year-old Olympic medal drought but also became the first Indian athlete in independent India to have won multiple individual medals in a single edition.

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"I am extremely overwhelmed by the support and wishes that have been coming in. Winning 2 bronze medals is a dream come true. This achievement is not just mine but belongs to everyone who has believed in me and supported me along the way," Manu had written on her official X account.

She expressed her gratitude to her family and personal coach Jaspal Rana and also thanked others who supported her throughout her journey.

"I couldn't have done it without the unwavering support of my family, Coach Jaspal Rana sir, and everyone who stood by me, including the NRAI, TOPS, SAI, OGQ, Performax & especially the Haryana government. With all my well-wishers. Competing and performing on the biggest stage for my country is a moment of immense pride and joy," she said.

Manu Bhaker was on the verge of scripting history if she had completed the hattrick of medals at the Olympics. But she fell short of winning a medal in the 25m pistol event by a small margin on Saturday in the shoot-off round.

Her Olympic stint ended by winning two medals and qualifying for three finals. Not a single Indian shooter had played in more than one final in a single edition.

"Thank you all for being a part of this incredible journey and for standing by me through every step. Your encouragement means the world to me! A bittersweet end to my campaign in Paris but happy to contribute to Team India's success," she concluded.

She was one of the Indian shooters, who failed to perform brilliantly at the Tokyo Olympics, where she couldn't even reach to even one final of the three events that she participated in. But the youngster redeemed herself at the Paris Olympics and became the country's greatest Olympian.