CHATEAUROUX: “No time to celebrate. My work is unfinished. There’s a lot to play for,” Manu Bhaker had said after winning her first Olympic medal on Sunday. There indeed was a lot more at stake. There was a date with history too. The belief that it was around the corner could be seen in the glint of her eyes, in the clenching of teeth when she smiled.
Manu wanted another medal badly and she got it on Tuesday: a second bronze medal, which made her the first Indian after Independence to win two medals at the same Olympic Games.
Norman Pritchard, a sprinter born in 1875 in then Calcutta, bagged two silver medals in the 1900 Games, which incidentally was also held in Paris. But that was 124 years ago, lost in the pages of India’s Olympic history. While IOC lists him as an Indian, World Athletics credits his medals to Britain.
Manu’s second bronze came in the company of another 22-year-old, a first-time Olympian – the shy Sarabjot Singh – in 10m air pistol mixed team event.
For Manu, it was a reward for believing in herself when she was going through a dark period. It was the karma thing she has been talking about here. “Do your work – the hard yards – the result will come,” she again said on Tuesday.
The two medals… it is all sinking in, yes, but I must keep my emotions in check. I have one more event left to play,” Manu said. Two in the bag, but she is not done yet. Manu has been shooting well and a third medal one now looks a real possibility. The 25m pistol individual is her pet event.
Manu showed her form again in the mixed battle for bronze. She looked composed when she walked in 30 minutes before the competition to set up her station. She did some shadow shooting, took a deep breath and walked out as if lost in thought. When she returned with Sarabjot for the competition, she looked ready. No sign of nerves. Sarabjot’s face showed nothing, but he said later that he was feeling the pressure.
The South Korean pair consisted of Lee Wanho and women’s 10m air pistol individual gold medallist Oh Ye Jin. The way the Indians and the South Koreans shot was an interesting contrast to watch. Manu shot consistently. She had seven consecutive 10s. Sarabjot struggled a bit. Wanho shot like a dream, Jin had a night mare of a time. That made the difference.
Manu started well with a 10.2. Sarabjot had a terrible 8.6. India was down 0-2. The winner needed to get to 16 first, which meant eight wins.
Manu got 10.7 in the second try and Sarabjot shot a 10.5. The Koreans were way behind this time. 2-2. The Indians then hit a purple patch with both hitting 10s in their third and fourth tries to go up 6-2. Manu again shot a 10.5, Sarabjot managed just 9.6 but Jin’s poor form helped. The Indians were up 8-2.
That was when Wanho decided to find a rare zone. 10.8! It was 8-4 now. But the Koreans slipped again in the seventh shot and the Indians were cruising at 10-4.
Then Manu had her first bad shot – 8.3. The Koreans had reduced the gap to 10-6. From there, it was 12-6 and 14-6. Jin’s meltdown was surprising, not pretty to watch. The Indians were not complaining. They needed just two more points.
Wanho staged a late comeback. He had not given up. He shot two consecutive 10.8s, which helped the Koreans reduce the gap again – 14-10. The 13th shot sealed the issue. Wanho shot a miserable 9. Manu had a 9.4, but Sarabjot shot 10.2. That was enough.
India took two timeouts in between when the pressure seemed to mount. It helped them calm their nerves.
Job done, Manu and Sarabjot stood on the stage with the Tricolour wrapped around their shoulders, and posed, as a small contingent of Indian supporters made quite some noise in the stands. It was the fans’ time to get trigger happy.
While the celebrations were on in the stands, Jaspal Rana was long gone. The medal assured, Manu’s coach picked his bag, put on his shades and got up to leave. He accepted a hug and a handshake. “Salute to you, Jaspal. You gave the girl confidence and courage.” He smiled, struggling to control his emotions and walked away swiftly.