Dravid’s ‘phenomenal’ take on Bhaker’s ‘incredible’ Paris Olympic medal haul

Former head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, Rahul Dravid, on Sunday was left in awe of Manu Bhaker’s historic feat at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won a bronze medal in the 10m Women’s Air Pistol event. Bhaker did not just end India’s 12-year wait for a medal in shooting, but also became the first-ever markswoman from the country to make the podium at the Games.
Speaking at an event at the India House in Paris, Dravid, who only last month completed his journey of redemption in the West Indies with India’s T20 World Cup title haul as a head coach, 17 years after suffering a humiliating group-stage exit in the 2007 World Cup as a captain, highlighted how Bhaker fought back incredibly from her Tokyo Games setback to script history in Paris.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the 22-year-old shooter was left tearful after her pistol malfunctioned during the qualification round of the same event. Two years later, she almost contemplated retirement before she fought her way back, secured an Olympic quota and, subsequently, a medal at the Games.
“It’s incredible. After the disappointment of what happened in Tokyo. To come here and to be able to get over that. To come here and compete and win a bronze medal. It’s a phenomenal achievement. These kinds of achievement take years of sacrifice, lot of hard work, perseverance, resilience. I think we just know how hard it is for athletes, how much sacrifice they go through. How much pressure it involves for a lot of these sports, I can imagine,” Dravid said.
“This is the pinnacle of their sport. It doesn’t get bigger than the Olympics for a lot of these athletes. For her, to be able to do that at this stage, to be able to put that performance under pressure. Congratulations to her. It’s truly a great day for Indian sport. What an inspiring story for so many young boys and girls across the country,” Dravid added.
At one point in the final, Bhaker had even come close to challenging for the elusive gold until her penultimate shot, when she fell behind Korea’s Kim Yeji. Bhaker, who hails from Jhajjar in Haryana, eventually amassed 221.7 points to claim the bronze, while Yeji won the silver and her compatriot Jin Ye Oh bagged the gold with a Games record of 243.2.
Bhaker will return to action on Monday in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification, where she will team up with Sarabjot Singh, who fell agonisingly short of making the individual final on Saturday. The other Indian pair in the event will be Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema.