Picture Credit: Twitter
The ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020 has not gone according to the plan for Indian shooting contingent so far. With the whole country expecting a few medals from this sport considering the impressive performances of the athletes in last few major tournaments and World Cups, the shooters could not live up to the high expectations. Unfortunately, India's young shooting sensation Manu Bhaker finds herself in the middle of all the criticism.
The 19-year-old was touted to be one of India's brightest hopes of earning a medal in shooting. She started her campaign on a very positive note in the women's 10m air pistol qualification. However, a rare malfunction in her gun completely caught her off the guard as she eventually missed a spot in the final by a narrow margin of 2 points.
Shocking result for Manu Bhaker & Saurabh Chaudhary on Tuesday
The focus then shifted to mixed 10m air pistol event where she, along with Saurabh Chaudhary, put on a scintillating show in the first round of qualification as India finished at top of the standings. However, a horror display from Manu Bhaker in the second round of qualification resulted in a shocking elimination of the duo from the event.
Reflecting on the sequence of events on Tuesday, Bhaker said, "I think I tried way too hard. I think sometimes you don't have control over things. Either when we try way too hard or expect things. This was our first Olympic games, and we have a long journey ahead," as quoted by Sportstar.
Manu Bhaker can still turn the tables in Tokyo
While many people are thinking that it's the end of the road for the young shooter in Tokyo, it is actually not the case. After facing disappointment in the 10m air pistol (both individual and mixed event), Bhaker has an opportunity to turn the tables in the 25m air pistol event which is set to take place on July 29.
Although it has not been the event where she has tasted too much success in past, she has shown her potential to succeed in this event. She scored game's record score of 593 in the qualification round of 25m air pistol in 2018 Asian Games. Bhaker was also leading the finals of the event at the Munich ISSF World Cup before her pistol jammed and she was forced to forfeit.
If things go her way on Thursday with a bit of luck on her side, there is no doubt that Manu Bhaker could redeem herself by winning a medal in the 25m air pistol event. Along with Bhaker, there will also be high hopes from her compatriot Rahi Sarnobat who has won gold medals in this event in World Cups and Asian Games.
