The Indian shooters have had a disappointing run at the 2021 Olympics so far. Only Saurabh Chaudhary has made it to the final of the shooting events, in which he lost. Big names like Abhishek Verma, Elavenil Valarivan and Yashaswini Deswal have all faltered on the biggest stage of them all.
Indian shooting sensation Manu Bhaker looked really sharp at her 10 M Air Pistol event. But a malfunctioning pistol cost her a significant amount of time (6 minutes to be exact). Although the Haryana shooter tried her level best to stage a comeback, her final shot was off the required mark which led to her finishing 12th in the qualifying round.
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She had another disappointing performance at the mixed events, where her below-par shooting led to the Bhaker/Chaudhary duo finishing 7th in the Qualifying Round 2. The youngster could only manage an overall score of 92 and 94 in her Round 2 of qualification. Her dad, who is chief engineer at the merchant navy, had a few things to say about Bhaker's disappointing exit from the mixed event.
While speaking to Olympics.com, Manu's father said:
"I havent spoken to Manu yet after the mixed events. Her performance was okay, less than Manu's level but Saurabh did well. In the second series it was below-par. She never shoots like that even during practice."
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary have been a magical combination They have ended up with medals in all the competitions they competed in together as a team. Both of them failed to make it to the finals of their respective events, which made this event extremely important for them.
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While talking about Bhaker's performance to the Olympics .com Ramkishan Bhaker said," I don't know what could be the reason, maybe it can be the effect of the first day, which she has not forgotten. Or might be the case of overthinking, that today I have to win a medal for sure."
Her father was very confident about Bhaker's shooting. He mentioned that a malfunctioning pistol or pressure to perform could in no way hamper Manu's performance.
Speaking to Olympics.com, Manu Bhaker's father said:
"There have been instances when Manu has proved that she thrives under pressure. She has nine gold medals to her name, across team and individual events at the World Cup. She is also the youngest Indian at the age of 16 to clinch a podium finish at a marquee tournament. Not only that, she is also the first Indian to clinch a gold medal at the Youth Olympics."
After failing in two attempts, Bhaker is the only Indian to have a third shot at redemption. She will be competing in the women's 25 M air pistol event on July 29, which will be the perfect opportunity for her to silence her doubters.
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