NEW DELHI: On the occasion of National Sports Day, Indian Olympic medallist pistol shooter Manu Bhaker reminisced about her interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered her perspective on the inspiration he bestows upon athletes.
The 22-year-old Manu created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic edition post independence. She also became the first Indian woman to win a medal in an individual shooting event at the Games.
Manu was just 16 when she first met PM Modi after her gold medal win at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she was just 16 years old and taken aback by his genuine interest in her sporting career.
"During the interaction, he took me aside and said, 'You are very young. You will achieve even greater success and reach out to me whenever you need anything.' This was a great source of motivation for me, " Manu recalled.
After her heartbreaking Tokyo Olympics campaign, where she fell short of winning a medal due to a pistol malfunction, the Prime Minister reached out with words of encouragement and discussed her future plans.
"PM Modi told me to be confident and focus on my goal. He keeps track of every detail about each player, " Manu noted.
The pistol shooter believes that PM Modi’s approach goes beyond merely celebrating victories; he focuses on nurturing and supporting every athlete, regardless of the outcome. Reaching out to athletes individually and taking the time to discuss their concerns, makes them feel valued and inspired.
After Manu bagged her first medal at the Paris Olympics, clinching the bronze medal in women’s 10 m air pistol, PM Modi called upon the pistol shooter and congratulated her for the historic medal at the Games in Paris.
She later won the bronze in the Mixed 10m Air Pistol with Sarabjot Singh and finished fourth in the women's 25m Pistol event.