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Paris Olympics 2024 double medallist Manu Bhaker encouraged school students to take up sports as their career, while telling them about the challenges one generally faces in the field. Manu was present at the Velammal Nexus School in Chennai on August 20, where she was felicitated for her historical achievement. Manu became the first Indian athlete post independence to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.
Speaking to the students, the 22-year-old said, "My journey, coming from the Tokyo Olympics, it was very difficult for me to be confident again. I was world number two, but I did not do well in it. I know the taste of losing and winning. It’s the beauty of sports. One competition you lose, and win the other. But, it would only happen if you put in hard work. To achieve the goal, we must put in a lot of hard work and effort. It doesn’t always start with aiming for something big, you also have to work to achieve it.”
She added, “If you can dream big, you can achieve big. So, always start by dreaming big. I always tell myself that no matter if I win or lose in any competition, I’ll always be very confident and hold myself high and together. We have many career options. You don’t have to become a doctor or an engineer. Sports life is a beautiful life. From financial support to any kind of it, you get everything in sports.”
The Haryana-born athlete further added, “We should never be ashamed of where we come from. You should carry it with pride, and you should be proud of yourself, how far you have come. I never knew English, how to talk to people, and many other things. But, I taught myself. People helped me to learn different things. You can always approach a teacher or your parents to learn something new. You can always ask somebody to teach you.”
