The former India captain and ex-head coach Rahul Dravid lavished praise on Manu Bhaker for showing nerves of steel to overcome her personal setback at the Tokyo Olympics and help India win its first medal at the ongoing Games in Paris.
Notably, Manu is competing at her second Olympics and has already experienced the worst that can possibly happen to an athlete competing at such a global event.
Manu braved a pistol malfunction at Tokyo Olympics, three years ago - an incident that adversely impacted her chances of winning a medal on debut.
The incident dented her confidence and she was on the brink of calling it quits before her parents and coach infused hope in her.
Dravid lauded Manu for her "phenomenal achievement" and mentioned that such feats require "years of sacrifice, take a lot of hard work, resilience and perseverance".
"Manu's story is incredible after the disappointment of Tokyo Olympics, to come here and be able to get over that and compete and win a bronze is a phenomenal achievement," Dravid said during a panel discussion at India House in Paris as reported by PTI.
"It's lovely to come on a day that's special for Indian sports. These kinds of achievements take years of sacrifice, take a lot of hard work, resilience and perseverance.
"We know how hard it is for a sportsperson and what they go through and so much depends on just these few days."
Dravid opined that Manu's "inspiring story" is bound to motivate more kids in India to take up the sport professionally.
"In lot of their lives, I can imagine the pressure that involves in all these sports because this is the pinnacle of their sports. It doesn't get bigger than this and for her to be able to do that, truly a great day for Indian sports. What an inspiring story for so many back home," he added.
