New Delhi [India], July 29 : Following Manu Bhaker's historic bronze medal in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the shooter on her win and revealed the hard work and expenditure that went behind her training.
Bhaker finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women's Air Pistol event on Sunday. She became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.
Following her win, Mandaviya told ANI, "By winning the first bronze medal in the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker has made India proud. In her interaction, she said that she has been a part of 'Khelo India'. I am delighted to tell you that PM Modi started 'Khelo India' and under this initiative, sports infrastructure was set up in the country, sports competition was increased, and projects were floated to identify sports talent at school and college levels. Good coaches were hired to train the talents identified, they were provided good training and under the TOPS scheme, arrangements were made to ensure that they did not face any financial constraints."
Mandaviya revealed that around Rs two crores were spent on Manu's training and she was sent to Germany and Switzerland for it. He also expressed confidence that other athletes will also do well in the Olympics.
"Around Rs 2 crore was spent on Manu Bhaker's training. She was sent to Germany and Switzerland for training. Financial help was provided which was needed for her to hire a coach who she wanted. We are providing this ecosystem to all athletes so that they give best performance at national and international competitions. I am confident that our athletes will perform well in Paris Olympics too," he added.
On the shooting and archery competitions taking place today, Manaviya added, "Shooting and Archery competitions are taking place today. We should encourage our athletes with #CheerForBharat on social media and encourage them. We expect our athletes to perform well."
Bhaker will once again be in action during the 10 m air pistol mixed team competition qualification rounds along with Sarabjot Singh from 12:45 PM onwards.
Indian shooters Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta, along with the men's archery team, will aim to add to the country's medal count at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Monday.
On Sunday, Ramita made it to the final of the women's 10 m air rifle event after a fifth-place finish during the qualification round, while Arjun came at seventh in the men's event. The top eight players from both the qualification rounds made it to the finals, which are scheduled for today, as per Olympics.com.
Also, the men's archery team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav will be taking on Turkiye or Colombia in the quarterfinals at 6:31 PM. The medal rounds of this category will take place today itself.
Bhaker brought India's first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.
It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned at the Tokyo Olympics. She made history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach a shooting final in an individual event of the Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.
South Korea's Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji, settled for silver with 241.3 points.
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