Manu Bhaker: Olympic glory inspired by Gita, training fines and Tokyo lessons

NEW DELHI: Manu Bhaker, a 22-year-old elite athlete, has finally achieved her long-awaited dream of winning an Olympic medal after years of dedication and hard work. The teachings of the Bhagwat Gita played a crucial role in her journey to success.
Hailing from Jhajjar, Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian woman to secure a shooting medal at the Summer Games.Her exceptional talent was evident from the moment she emerged victorious with a gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Youth Olympics.

Despite numerous accolades on the international stage, the ultimate prize had remained elusive until now. Bhaker's first Olympic experience in Tokyo ended in heartbreak, with tears streaming down her face.
However, her perseverance and commitment to a rigorous training regimen designed by her demanding coach, Jaspal Rana, finally paid off. On Sunday, Bhaker clinched the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event, a momentous achievement in a nation where Olympic medals are incredibly rare and cherished.

Reading Gita was guiding force for Bhaker
After her debut Olympics, she learned tough lessons and underwent rigorous training regimens worldwide, which proved to be priceless. To mentally prepare herself following the disappointment in Tokyo, she turned to the Bhagwat Gita and now strongly believes in the concept of karma.

"I have become religious after Tokyo but not in an extreme way (laughs). I believe that there is an energy that guides us and protects us. And there is an aura around us that feeds on that energy. I think there should be some faith in God who has created us," Manu said, as quoted by PTI.
Bhaker was recalling verses from the Gita during an intense final round where competitors were progressively eliminated between the 12th and 22nd shots. The ultimate fate of the silver and gold medals hung in the balance, determined by the last two shots fired.

"The most famous quote in Gita is don't worry about the results, just keep working diligently. So the same was going on in my mind (in the final)," she said.
Bhaker found solace in the presence of her coach, Rana, who was observing from the stands. Throughout the competition, they maintained eye contact, a silent form of communication that provided Bhaker with the resilience to handle the intense pressure of the event.
She shared how reconnecting with Rana during the past year has contributed to her growth and development as an athlete.

"I had figured out where Jaspal sir was sitting in the crowd and I was making sure I was only looking at him and nobody else.
"Looking at him gives me courage and I am grateful that you know all those years of hard work that we have put in together paid off with this and probably even more.
"So we will not let this get the better of us and we will keep trying hard in the future. I owe a lot to him. He made the training so difficult for me that this was not very difficult for me when it came to performing," she said referring to her remaining two events at the Paris Games.
Bhaker displayed remarkable poise and self-assurance throughout the competition, both during the qualification round on Saturday and the final, which took place a day later. Her confident demeanor was evident in her body language, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Abhinav Bindra, a former shooter and one of only two Indian athletes to have won an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.

"For me the greatest moment was when I saw a picture of her yesterday after qualification. There was no emotion that she displayed which meant she was in business for today," Bindra told PTI.
"Her journey has been wonderful. She is showing what an athlete's life is all about (highs and lows)," he added.
Lessons from Tokyo
She faced a significant setback during the Tokyo Olympics when her pistol malfunctioned during the qualification round. The incident left her deeply disappointed and disheartened.
"In Tokyo, things definitely didn't go to plan. But somewhere, I would be careless. I fell short because of whatever reason.

"I think that if you can't win something, you can learn a lot from it. If I didn't have those lessons in my life in Tokyo, I wouldn't be here today.
"We have a lot of talent here but we lack confidence that whether we can do it or not at this stage or we let the pressure get the better of ourselves.
"I am so grateful that I was able to break this chain and get the medal home."
Intense training, daily fines of 400 Euros and community service
Rana maintained well-defined objectives for her during practice sessions, regardless of the location - be it Luxembourg or Dehradun. Failure to achieve the predetermined scores set by Rana would result in Bhaker paying fines, which were subsequently utilized to assist those in need globally.
"His working method is very different from the rest of the people. Usually he sets a goal and if you score that much, then it's okay.
"And if you don't score that much, then the points that were less in that score, let us say we decided to score 582 and I scored 578. So those four points will amount to 40 Euros and sometimes 400 Euros depending on the situation and country. You have to donate that much," said Bhaker.
More details of their mutual agreement was revealed by Rana who was naturally emotional given the enormity of the occasion.
"I remember once in Dehradun, she bought jaggery worth thousands of rupees to feed to cows. The money would also be used to feed beggars around the world.
"More recently, we were in Luxembourg and she ended up giving 40 Euros to performers in a restaurant. They too were left surprised by that gesture," recalled Rana.
Having finally broken the barrier, Bhaker is in no mood to relax. She senses a medal in women's 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events.
"She went beyond limits to prepare for this Olympics. There is more to come from her," concluded Rana.