Manu Bhaker shares her success mantra with Chennai kids

Fresh off her historic Olympic success in Paris, renowned shooter Manu Bhaker visited Chennai on Tuesday, where she inspired students to consider sports as a career option.

The 22-year-old athlete made history by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics in the post-Independence era, a remarkable achievement following her challenging experience at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Speaking at the Velammal Nexus School, where she was felicitated for her achievements, Manu reflected on her challenging journey from Tokyo to Paris.

She mentioned how regaining her confidence after the Tokyo Olympics was tough, noting that despite being ranked second in the world at the time, she didn’t perform as expected. However, she emphasized that experiencing both defeat and victory is part of what makes sports beautiful.

Manu's message to the young students was clear - dream big and work hard.

"To achieve the goal, we must put in a lot of hard work and effort. It doesn't always start with aiming for something big; you also have to work to achieve it. If you can dream big, you can achieve big," she said, encouraging the students to explore sports as a career.

"Sports life is a beautiful life. From financial support to any kind of it, you get everything in sports." she added.

The Olympic bronze medalist in the women's 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event, where she partnered with Sarabjot Singh, also spoke about the significant role her parents played in her journey, especially her mother, shaping her into who she is today.

Reflecting on her eight-and-a-half-year shooting career, Manu highlighted the importance of continuous learning.

"Do not give up on any small setbacks that you face. If you do not win a competition or do not perform well in an exam, do not give up, but hold yourself together, get back up, and keep going on," she concluded.