Manu Bhaker is the new sporting sensation of India. The star shooter shone with twin bronze medals at the Paris Olympics 2024 and etched her name in the history books. She became the first-ever Indian athlete to win multiple medals in a single edition of the Games. Since her achievement, Manu has been the talk of the town. While the media houses have been extensively covering every move of the markswoman, there are also certain rumours that have spread regarding her, one of them being the price of her pistol.

Several reports suggested that Manu’s pistol is extremely costly, with some even suggesting number in crores. The star has finally broken her silence on the issue in a recent interaction with Sports Next.

“Crore?” said a surprised Manu. “No. It is a one time investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh to 1.85 lakhs. It also depends on various other factors like which model you are buying, whether it is a new one or a second hand pistol or you are getting your pistol customized. After you reach a level, companies give you pistol for free,” she added.

Shooter Manu scripted history last month in Paris Olympics 2024. The 22-year-old claimed bronze medal in the women’s 10-metre air pistol event and the 10-metre air pistol mixed team events at the Paris Olympics 2024.

When asked if she would like to do anything apart from shooting, Manu said, “The love of my life is shooting and I want to shoot as long as possible and win as many medals for India as possible. I enjoy to dress up and other things as well but (shooting remains the priority).”

During the interaction, Manu also revealed how she deals with her anger. “I also get angry. But I have learnt to chanelise my anger into something positive. That is really important for a sportsperson.”

On the occasion of National Sports Day, Indian Olympic medallist pistol shooter Manu Bhaker reminisced about her interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered her perspective on the inspiration he bestows upon athletes. The 22-year-old Manu created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic edition post independence. She also became the first Indian woman to win a medal in an individual shooting event at the Games. Manu was just 16 when she first met PM Modi after her gold medal win at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she was just 16 years old and taken aback by his genuine interest in her sporting career.

“During the interaction, he took me aside and said, ‘You are very young. You will achieve even greater success and reach out to me whenever you need anything.’ This was a great source of motivation for me,” Manu recalled.

After her heartbreaking Tokyo Olympics campaign, where she fell short of winning a medal due to a pistol malfunction, the Prime Minister reached out with words of encouragement and discussed her future plans.

“PM Modi told me to be confident and focus on my goal. He keeps track of every detail about each player,” Manu noted.

The pistol shooter believes that PM Modi’s approach goes beyond merely celebrating victories; he focuses on nurturing and supporting every athlete, regardless of the outcome. Reaching out to athletes individually and taking the time to discuss their concerns, makes them feel valued and inspired.

After Manu bagged her first medal at the Paris Olympics, clinching the bronze medal in women’s 10 m air pistol, PM Modi called upon the pistol shooter and congratulated her for the historic medal at the Games in Paris.

She later won the bronze in the Mixed 10m Air Pistol with Sarabjot Singh and finished fourth in the women’s 25m Pistol event.

Indian shooter Manu Bhaker scripted history by becoming the first athlete from independent India to win two individual medals in the same edition of the Olympics. Bhaker enjoyed a sensational run of form at the Paris Olympics 2024 as she won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event and the 10m air pistol mixed team event along with Sarabjot Singh. Manu came extremely close to adding another medal to her tally but finished fourth in the 25m women’s pistol. She has been enjoying a lot of attention since coming back home from the Olympics and in a video going viral on social media, she was seen grooving to the famous song “Kala Chashma” along with some school kids during a felicitation ceremony.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Indian contingent which returned from the Paris Olympics with six medals, with history-scripting shooter Manu Bhaker showing her pistol that fetched her two bronze, at his residence.

Manu Bhaker Dancing on “Kala Chasma “song in a recent School Cultural Programme..

The Olympics champion#ManuBhaker #Olympics @ManuBhaker01 pic.twitter.com/Spjzp1OWYm

— Randhir Mishra (@randhirmishra96) August 20, 2024

The Indian men’s hockey team, which won its second consecutive bronze at the Paris Games, presented the PM with a stick signed by all the players.

The players, including the just-retired PR Sreejesh and captain Harmanpreet Singh, were seen posing with the Prime Minister with the bronze medals on their necks.

“It was a delight to interact with the Indian contingent that represented our nation in the Paris Olympics. Heard their experiences from the games and lauded their feats on the sports field,” PM Modi tweeted.

“Every player who went to Paris is a champion. The Government of India will continue to support sports and ensure that a top-quality sporting infrastructure is built,” he wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.

Bhaker, who became the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, was seen explaining to the PM about the pistol with which she shot down two bronze medals — in 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed event — in Paris.

(With PTI inputs)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday showered praise on star pistol shooter Manu Bhaker as he met the double Olympic bronze medallist after her triumphant return from the Paris Games. Singh said every Indian is elated by her “incredible performances”. He also shared a photograph of their meeting in a post on X. “Delighted to meet India’s ace shooter, Manu Bhaker, who scripted history at the Paris Olympics by wining two Bronze medals for the country. Every Indian is elated by her incredible performances. Best wishes for her future endeavours,” Singh wrote on the social media platform.

Bhaker arrived home on Wednesday after her historic feat at the ongoing Paris Games where she became the first Indian in the post-Independence era to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.

Bhaker will return to Paris on Saturday and will be the female flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Bhaker won a bronze each in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event where she had paired with Sarabjot Singh to script Olympic history for the country.

Before her, British-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard had won two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics but that achievement had come in the pre-Independence era.

Bhaker first won bronze at the women’s 10m air pistol event, and then bronze again in the mixed team 10m air pistol event alongside male shooter Sarabjot Singh. These have been India’s only medals at Paris 2024 so far.

Speaking about the planning behind her schedule and training, Bhaker entirely credited her coach, former Asian Games gold medalist shooter Jaspal Rana.

“The planning part was definitely entirely Jaspal sir’s programme. He planned it according to if my shoulder is in good shape,” said Bhaker. “I always look at him whenever I lack courage or I want to feel more confident.

“When you come to a major Games, confidence plays a huge part. It comes from the roots, from my family, from my friends, from the atmosphere I trained in the last two-three years, and from my coach,” she added.

Despite becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals in an Olympics since Norman Pritchard in the 1900 Games, Bhaker’s journey at Paris 2024 may not be over yet. She is set to further participate in the 25m air pistol events.