From heartbreak in Tokyo to glory in Paris: Manu Bhaker's redemption arc

Bengaluru: She was all smiles. She waited for her medal confirmation, and then slowly walked back to her seat amidst the loud cheers from the Indian fans at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in France.

Even though the stakes were high, Manu Bhaker did not let the moment get into her mind. The 22-year-old has a cool head over her young body, and she slowly walked into the path of history by becoming the first Indian woman ever to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.

The girl from Haryana won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol and seized India's 12-year wait for a medal in shooting at the Olympic Games.

Although her actions looked effortless in the ring, to reach this level, she had to train her mind and body for this moment since her heartbreaking debut at the Tokyo Olympics.

She wore a smiling face after the healing feat, but she remained articulate with the choice of words as she reflected on her performance.

"Honestly, I read a lot of Gita, and what was going through my mind was just do what you are supposed to do, and leave the rest to destiny as you cannot control the outcome," Manu observed after opening India's medal account at the Paris Olympics.

Her podium finish in Paris finally amended the Tokyo debacle when a lot was expected from her even though she was making her debut at 19. Manu had to deal with a pistol malfunction in the 10m air pistol qualification round, leading to her ouster from the Games.

In May 2024, Manu Bhaker booked her berth in the Indian shooting team after finishing in the top two of the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol selection trials.

Redemption Arc started after Tokyo

A few months back sitting in the quaint Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in Bhopal, Manu was plucking flowers and chatting with her mother moments after winning the Olympic qualification trials.

A much revered shooting prodigy, Manu is among the few Indian shooters who survived the brutal social media trolling due to their failure to win medals despite being billed as a serious medal contender.

Following the Tokyo debacle, Manu had snapped ties with her coach Jaspal Rana, and was heavily criticised by the fans.

In a country like India, the pressure of performing for billions of people on a stage like the Olympics is immense.

A country that has won very few Olympic medals desires medals whenever Indian athletes compete at the Games. Their performances at international events make heads turn and the expectations skyrocket.

When asked about the Tokyo debacle, a nonchalant Manu said, "After Tokyo, I knew Paris was mine." "It is simple for me. Take the gun, look at the target, and shoot," she added.

Manu's nonchalant attitude and self-belief are the reasons why the young shooter made the remarkable comeback from the Tokyo heartbreak that put her career on the edge.

The Tokyo Olympics allowed young Manu to reassess her game and fine-tune her calibre.

"After Tokyo, I was completely lost. I lost my peace and was so disappointed with my performance. I just missed the finals by one or two points. But I was so disappointed because I thought I had worked hard enough to be able to finish on the podium," Manu said.

"But when I look back I feel I was not ready for the Olympics," Manu confessed to The Bridge on the sidelines of Shooting Trials in May.

While Manu took time to cope with the poor performance and gave herself time to reorganise, it was not the same for her partner Saurabh Chaudhary who has faded away from the circuit since the Tokyo Olympics.

"I have stopped taking loss and poor performances to heart. Earlier, I used to take losses very hard, sulk all the time, and think about it all the time," said Manu.

"Eventually, I realized that it was just one competition and I have so much more left to achieve. That was the moment when my redemption began," quipped Manu.

Jaspal Rana returns, Manu trains her mind

Usually, popular for the redemption arc of a character, Japanese anime has a couple of events that prove to be the turning point in the character's life.

The first such event for Manu was the acceptance of failure and moving on from that. and it required a lot of mental training.

With time, Manu managed to set aside the nightmare of Tokyo. She grew in confidence and became comfortable in dealing with the questions related to the pandemic-delayed Olympics. It was then that her arc started taking the shape of glory.

"I have become comfortable with those uncomfortable questions about Tokyo and it has been three years since that Olympics. Before Paris, I was again in the same zone as Tokyo but I have become a better shooter mentally, physically, and technically," Manu explained.

The next crucial moment was the return of her former coach Jaspal Rana after two years. It felt like a reunion of the famous anime character Naruto with his mentor Jiraiya, the perfect apprentice-master reunion.

"His (Jaspal) return has been crucial for me as he has planned how every game and every event I have to play," said Manu.

"We talk about everything, from my personal life to shooting to politics and beyond," said Manu explaining her rapport with Rana.

As Manu started to explore more about herself and how to keep shooting connected to her inner self, she rode on the journey to glory.

"I have different hobbies such as horse riding, playing violin, and reading books. I do yoga every day to keep myself calm mentally. It helps me when I am in a tough match situation," Manu signed off.

Following trials and tribulations, the journey of Manu Bhaker to the Paris Olympic podium mirrors the classic anime redemption arc.

It was the culmination of everything from growth, acceptance, and mental resilience to hard work aligning her destiny with her path to glory.