SHOOTING QUEEN

Manu Bhaker scripted a classic turnaround at Paris 2024, putting the ghosts of the past behind her through sheer willpower to engrave her own destiny

- Suhani Singh

In recent years, the hunting has been good, the posse of young Indians who have arrived on the global stage toting their guns, light- ing up shooting ranges across the world. Yet, there's been a blip in that upbeat narrative— they underperformed at the most important event of all.

Abhinav Bindra's gold at Beijing 2008 had set a new benchmark. But for two consecutive Olympics thereafter, India's shooting squad misfired so much that expectations were modest from the young shooters bound for the 2024 Paris Games. ManuBhaker had already starred in one such tragedy: at Tokyo 2020, both her pistol and her poise betrayed her. Returning empty-handed, facing a volley of sarcastic gunfire, and most of all haunted by her own sense of failure, she almost gave up on shooting. Never mind that she was all of 19 and had already accomplished a lot in the international arena. Failure to turn up for the big occasion has unravelled many a bright star. But not Manu. After healing her bruises with a touch of spiritual recouping, she decided she was in no mood to be remembered as the girl who missed.