Star pistol shooter Manu Bhaker arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, marking the end of a historic campaign at the ongoing Paris Olympics. Bhaker, who made history by becoming the first Indian in the post-Independence era to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, was greeted with a warm reception at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Manu Bhaker returns home
Bhaker’s Air India direct flight (AI 142) from Paris, initially scheduled to land at 8:20 AM, was delayed by an hour and touched down at approximately 9:20 AM. Despite the morning drizzle, around 100 people gathered at the airport well before her arrival, including her parents, Ram Kishan and Sumedha, as well as sports enthusiasts and officials from neighboring states.
Among those present were Bhaker’s personal coach, Jaspal Rana, from Uttarakhand, and his father. The crowd celebrated Bhaker’s achievements with enthusiasm, featuring song and dance performances, drumbeats, and banners displaying photos of both Bhaker and Rana.
Bhaker, who won bronze medals in both the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event (where she teamed up with Sarabjot Singh), will return to Paris on Saturday. She is set to be the female flag bearer for the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
Bhaker’s achievements are remarkable as they bring India its first Olympic medals in shooting in the post-Independence era. The last Indian athlete to win multiple medals at the Olympics was British-Indian Norman Pritchard, who secured two silver medals in the 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Paris Olympics.
