Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called up Manu Bhaker after her historic bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and extended greetings for winning India's first medal at the 2024 games. Haryana-based Manu Bhaker made the nation proud on Sunday as she clinched the bronze medal in women's 10 m air pistol at the Paris Olympics 2024. PM Modi told Manu that the entire nation was proud of her.
"Many congratulations Manu. I am happy with your success. You lost silver by 0.1 points but made the country proud. You are getting two kinds of praise. You won the bronze medal to become the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympics medal. Tokyo Olympics mein rifle ne tere saath daga kar diya (Rifle betrayed you in Tokyo). But this time you overcame all obstacles. I hope you will do well in your other categories too,” PM Modi told Manu Bhaker.
"I hope all the facilities are good there for Indian athletes."
Then PM Modi also asked her whether Manu had the opportunity to talk to her family after the Olympics 2024 medal win. He added that it was a proud moment for her family too as they worked hard for Manu to fulfill her dreams.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Olympic Bronze Medalist Manu Bhaker and congratulated her on winning a Bronze medal in Women’s 10 M Air Pistol at #ParisOlympics2024pic.twitter.com/IHrumNS5yv
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2024
Earlier, PM Modi took to X, formerly Twitter, and congratulated Bhaker for becoming the first woman to win an Olympics medal in the shooting competition.
"A historic medal! Well done, @realmanubhaker, for winning India's FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024! Congrats for the Bronze," Modi wrote in a post on X.
"This success is even more special as she becomes the first woman to win a medal in shooting for India. An incredible achievement!"
A historic medal!
Well done, @realmanubhaker, for winning India’s FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024! Congrats for the Bronze. This success is even more special as she becomes the 1st woman to win a medal in shooting for India.
An incredible achievement!#Cheer4Bharat— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2024
Manu Bhaker finished in third place, just 0.1 points behind the eventual silver medallist Oh Yejin of South Korea, while fellow Korean Kim Yeji secured the gold.
With this triumph, Manu has brought an end to India's 12-year Olympic medal drought in shooting. The last time India won a medal in shooting was at the Summer Games (2012) when Gagan Narang clinched a bronze medal in the men's 10m air rifle at the London.
Manu Bhaker, in her first reaction after her maiden Olympics victory, said that a firm belief in herself helped her chase her dreams.
"I put in a lot of effort. This is a bronze but I'm happy I could win a bronze for the country. I read a lot of Gita. As Lord Krishna says, focus on karma, not on the outcome of the karma," Bhaker told the media after winning the bronze medal.
"After Tokyo, I was very disappointed however, I came back stronger. Let the past remain in the past," she said when asked about what her solid comeback in Paris meant for her.