It was another medal-winning day for India and it was Manu Bhaker yet again, this time in a mixed team event in 10m air pistol alongside Sarabjot Singh as the duo beat Korea's Wonho Lee and Jin Oh Ye 16-10 in the bronze medal match to take the country's tally to two. The duo would have felt heartbroken on Monday, July 29 for not being able to contest for the Gold medal, however, Tuesday saw the best of their teamwork, camaraderie and leadership, especially from Manu Bhaker.
Speaking about the duo's magnificent win, especially for Manu who became the first Indian athlete after independence to win two medals in the same edition of the Olympics, former Indian Olympian and an Asian Games Gold medallist and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Ronjan Sodhi exclusively to India TV in Paris about Manu and her achievement, said that he is confident of the 22-year-old making it three in three.
"It is a big achievement. It was incredible, the way those two performed and beat a strong team like Korea. They not just have scripted history but Manu especially, two medals in four days, just magnificent," Sodhi said.
Sodhi commended Manu for staying focussed as he mentioned that it wasn't like she started celebrating after she got her first medal. "She started from zero after winning that medal and would be hoping to make a fresh start before her next event and then she would celebrate after she has won three medals."
"Manu has been involved in sports since her childhood. She has done boxing and martial arts as well and I read somewhere that she urged her father to get into shooting. Whenever I have met her as well, Manu has always been very focussed, she doesn't get distracted from her goal and her coach Jaspal Rana too has always been like that. He has so much experience and has been such a focussed athlete for India," Sodhi said while appreciating Manu and Sarabjot for their team work as whenever one had a bad round, the other covered up to see the team through.
On the rising trend of personal and individual coaches, Sodhi said that since shooting is an individual sport and having the same coach for multiple players can be a bit limiting, especially for the players in terms of them sharing their concerns and other stuff with them and hence the need for a personal coach.
Sodhi was "110 percent sure" that Manu will make it three in three, especially since she is one of the favourites in the 25m air pistol event and now that she has won a medal in the two events so far, third was almost a formality according to him.
