EXCLUSIVE | ‘Likhke le loh’: Manu Bhaker’s uncle hopeful for gold in 25m pistol

Phatte chak dunga I will go all out is what Sarabjot Singh told assistant coach Gaurav Saini before heading to Paris for his dream Olympic debut True to his word Sarabjot lived up to his promise as is typical of himldquoJaate time usne mujhse kaha tha ki main medal leke hi aayunga chaahe jo hojaye Practice ke dauraan kahi dino pehle baat huya tha toh bol raha tha phatte chak dunga Aur usne aaj woh kar dikhaya Before leaving for Paris he told me he would do everything to win a medal Days ago during his practice at the range there he again told me he would go all out for a podium finish He kept his wordrdquo an ecstatic Saini told MidDay minutes after he added a second medal to Indiarsquos tally on TuesdayWATCH Shooter Sarabjot Singhs father Jitender Singh Assistant Coach Gaurav Saini and others celebrate in Ambala HaryanaAt ParisOlympics2024 shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh brought India its second medal as they won Bronze in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event pictwittercomyTR3j22L43mdash ANI ANI July 30 2024For someone who had to navigate rough seas with a ninthplace finish in the menrsquos 10m air pistol just three days ago the aforementioned Punjabi phrase could not be more accurateWATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Olympic medalist Sarabjot Singh and congratulated him for winning bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event at ParisOlympic2024 pictwittercom0hnJbD0tybmdash ANI ANI July 30 2024Teaming up with the equally unruffled Manu Bhaker Singh edged out the Korean duo of Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin 1610 giving India a reason to cheer twice in three days by securing a second bronze medal in shooting and overallldquoPuri umeed thi Woh kabhi khaali haath nahi aata Kahi bhi match khelne gaya hoga national ho ya international hamesha medal ke saath hi lauta hain We had high hopes for him He has never come emptyhanded be it any national or international event and he has always won a medalrdquo he addedWATCH Shooter Manu Bhaker wins bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event in Paris Olympics 2024Her father Ramkrishna Bhaker says I am very happy This is big news for the whole country I thank the countrymen for giving their love and blessings to Manu and alsohellip pictwittercomAE8vDjEiyhmdash ANI ANI July 30 2024Also ReadDont have JioTV Father reveals how media broke the news of Bhakers bronzeSinghrsquos expression bore a trace of regret after he scored a disappointing 86 in the opening round Bhakerrsquos 102 brought their combined total to 188 while the Korean pair by contrast accumulated 205 points to establish a 20 lead However it was the test of Bhaker and Singhrsquos nerves in the subsequent shots that would determine the bronze medal winnerFrom this there was no backing down Despite trailing 02 Bhakers consistency was highlighted by her ability to maintain a high standard throughout evident from the way she registered no more than three shots below 10 in the 13round battle Such was her level of confidence that it also had a bearing on Singh Together they had the final four rounds under their thumb bringing their score to 82 Korea under mounting pressure struggled to keep pace and ultimately fell short succumbing to BhakerSinghrsquos relentless form and losing 1610WATCH Faridabad Haryana Shooter Manu Bhakers parents celebrate after their daughter scripts history by winning two Olympic medals in the ongoing Games in Paris pictwittercomifatEb039Cmdash ANI ANI July 30 2024ldquoKhushi ki mahaul hain yaha Academy ke saare bachhe khushi se naach rahe hain Sarabjot ke pitaji bhi humare saath yaha the abhi hum sab ab gaon ja rahe hain kyunki woha mukhyamantri ji aane waale hain People are dancing and revelling in the festive spirit The children from the Academy are dancing energetically in joy His father was with me a while ago we are all leaving for the village now The Chief Minister is about to arriverdquo he saidCelebrations are equally in full swing about 140 miles away from Sarabjotrsquos Dheen village in Ambala With a battery of mediapersons at home the Bhakers were busy attending to the guests and receiving congratulatory calls from several dignitaries The atmosphere appeared electric especially at the Universal Senior Secondary School where Manu honed her skills as a childWATCH Shooter Manu Bhaker wins her second medal in Paris Olympics her mother Sumedha Bhaker says After getting Jaspal sirs guidance today Manu has done wondersShooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won Bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event today pictwittercomZpfnozifR7mdash ANI ANI July 30 2024Uncle Mahendar Bhaker said he was always confident that Manu would win India more than one medal in ParisldquoBahut khush hain hum sab yaha yaha toh utsav hain Itne zyada log aaye huye hain Laddoo rasgulla barfi sab baant rahe hain yaha Hum sab gulaal se khel rahe hain Ram Kishan ji se abhi tak baat nahi ho paya woh busy aa rahe hain phone pe Match ke pehle baat huya tha humara Woh dono confident the aaj ke event ke liye We are very happy The festive spirit is palpable everyone has come together to celebrate They have been distributing sweets and dancing to the beat of drums I havenrsquot spoken with Ram Kishan Manursquos father it says busy We spoke before the match and they both seemed very confident about the medalrdquo he said over the phoneAlso ReadMotherhood could have cost Olympian Deepika husband Atanu wouldnrsquot let itWhen MidDay asked if he wanted Manu to change the colour of the medal in the womenrsquos 25m pistol event an ecstatic Mahendar said ldquoUsme gold aayega ji Uska favourite game hain toh 25m mein koi medal nahi chhorna hain bass yeh Olympic medal baaki reh gayi woh bhi laayegi Gold aayega aap likhke le loh 100 per cent gold aayega She will win gold It is her favourite event so she will not want to lose any opportunity right now an Olympic medal in the 25m pistol is the only thing remaining now I can give it to you in writing gold is surely comingrdquo