Former Haryana Chief Minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar congratulated Manu Bhaker, the 22-year-old Olympic shooter, and her parents in Delhi. Khattar expressed his pride, saying, "It is a matter of great happiness for us that our daughter of Haryana has won two bronze medals in the Olympics 2024. She has made her parents and the country proud. I congratulate her and hope that she wins the gold medal in the next Olympics."
"I keep meeting him (ML Khattar) regularly. I met him before leaving for the Olympics, he wished for me and the result was really good. It feels good to meet him, he keeps motivating me to play further," Manu Bhaker said.
Upon returning to India, Bhaker met with several leaders, including Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics by winning bronze in both the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event, where she teamed up with Sarabjot Singh. She became the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal and contributed to India’s first-ever shooting team medal.
Read Also | Double Olympic Medallist Manu Bhaker Meets Rahul Gandhi in Delhi (Watch Video)
Despite a commendable performance, Bhaker narrowly missed a third medal, finishing fourth in the women’s 25m pistol event. She is the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Olympics since the country’s independence.
With these two medals, India matched its best shooting performance from the London 2012 Olympics. The country did not win shooting medals at Rio 2016 or Tokyo 2020. India’s campaign in Paris concluded with six medals, falling just short of the record total from Tokyo 2020, marking it as the third-best performance for India at the Summer Games, following Tokyo 2020 and London 2012.
At the Paris Olympics, Indian athletes competed in 16 sports, with athletics fielding the largest squad of 29 members. In shooting, India sent its largest-ever contingent of 21 shooters. Indian athletes not only secured medals but also set new records at the Games.