Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 29
Just one month ago, this story would have seemed inconceivable — a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Haryana has suddenly become the cynosure of all eyes in the Indian shooting squad.
Six ISSF gold medals in the last one month show that Manu Bhaker’s pistol is primed for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Manu and Heena Sidhu will represent India’s challenge in the 10m air pistol event.
The mega event will be Manu’s biggest challenge of her nascent shooting career. Remarkably, she took up competitive shooting just two years ago. But in these two years she has shot with maturity beyond her age and reaped a golden harvest in every tournament she has participated. In her maiden senior World Cup in Mexico, Manu pipped some the biggest names of her event in the sport. She is expected to do it again in the coming fortnight.
“Manu has been consistently shooting gold for the last one month. Obviously, we all are expecting gold this time also. But shooting is a sport with very less margin. It all depends on that day, how she shoots in the competition,” said her father, Ramkishan Bhaker.
Manu’s main competitors in her event will be from China, Singapore, Canada and hosts Australia. The youngest Indian to win a gold medal in the ISSF shooting World Cup would be a firm favourite in Gold Coast and Indian fans are particularly excited with the rise of a teenage shooter
The Indian contingent for CWG has many teenagers, but Manu stands out for her consistent performances. Her prolific run has pushed some of the fancied shooters to the sidelines.
The Charkhi Dadri girl, however, is going about her task in a normal way. The gold rush hasn’t shot up her adrenaline level but kept her in a happy frame of mind. “Ever since her selection in the Commonwealth team, she wants to do well in the mega event. Her recent success is proof that she is sincerely working to achieve her aim,” Bhaker said.
In the last three months, Manu has consciously worked on her trigger movement and her efforts have started to bear fruit. Manu’s biggest strength is her determination to tackle the task at hand. The Class XI student of Universal Senior Secondary School in Goria, Jhajjar, has a mature head on her shoulders and works assiduously to remove her shortcomings.
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