Ace shooter Manu Bhaker, who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning two bronze medals, is making headlines again, but this time for not being among the nominees for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
Bhaker, who became the first female shooter from India to win an Olympic medal after clinching bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event, followed up with another bronze in the mixed 10m air pistol team event with teammate Sarabjot Singh. In doing so, she became the first Indian since the country’s independence to achieve this remarkable feat at the Olympics. Despite her success on the world stage, the shooter appears to have been excluded from the Khel Ratna nominations for this year.
A TOI report suggest that officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports clarified that Bhaker did not apply for the award. However, sources close to the shooter’s family have disputed this, claiming that Bhaker did indeed submit her application for the coveted recognition.
The controversy surrounding her nomination comes just months after Bhaker sparked a debate on social media with a deleted post, in which she questioned whether she deserved the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. The post received a mixed response, with many fans criticizing her for raising the issue publicly.
Despite a disappointing outing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where a malfunction with her pistol prevented her from winning a medal, Bhaker bounced back in spectacular fashion at the 2024 Paris Olympics, silencing her critics. Her Olympic triumph added to an already impressive career, which includes gold medals at both the 2022 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG). In the 2022 Asian Games, Bhaker won gold in the women’s 25m pistol team event, while at the 2018 CWG, she bagged gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event, setting a new Games record.