Poised and determined, 22-year-old shooter and Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker needs no introduction, we’re sure you’ve read plenty of headlines and skimmed through multiple video snippets post her win in France. How does one cope with a success of this degree, at an age marred by self-doubt and identity crises? Well for Manu Bhaker, music, some family time and a healthy relationship with her hobbies do the job.
The shooter credits her unfaltering optimism and an inherent yearning to do better when asked about the double win. She could’ve ended up becoming a doctor, you know, but with her coach’s steadfast faith and Bhaker’s strenuous dedication – India now boasts of a new record, in turn, inspiring many. Here’s our chat with the young Olympian where she gushes about Kailash Kher, her mum’s aloo parathas and her journey to the stars.
ELLE: Tell us about your shooting journey.
Manu Bhaker: I started at the age of 14 when I was still in school. I studied at Universal Senior Secondary School, in a village called Goriya in Jhajjar district, and I initially started shooting to bunk classes. History and Political Science used to bore me, I was only good in Science and English. So I used to bunk classes and go to the shooting range. However, my coach would say that I was doing good and that I should focus entirely on refining my skills.
He told my mother “Give her one year, if she doesn’t do well, put her back into studies.” I wanted to become a doctor at that time so you can imagine the whole ordeal. But my parents supported me and gave me that one year, and within 3 months my performance started to shoot up. I then started to win local open tournaments, and then, I won the Commonwealth Games, Tokyo, and more.
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ELLE: Did you anticipate the outpour of love you’ve been receiving and is it overwhelming? How are you coping?
Manu Bhaker: So when I initially won both the medals, I was not aware of the records, I was only focusing on the next match at hand which was two days later. I finished fourth in that so I was disappointed, to be honest. But again, on the brighter side, I won two medals in three matches, reached fantastic qualifications and finals with two podium finishes and one-fourth place. So even though I was a little disappointed with the fourth place, when I was interacting with the media, they told me that I had made history and that I was the first Indian to win two medals in one Olympic edition – that took me by surprise. And then they told me how people were reacting to it, so it made me happy because I have always been getting so much love and support since my initial days.
There will always be critics, but it’s better to look on the positive side. So that’s how I take it and this time people really loved my performance and I poured a lot of hard work into it. Now I’m really happy with how the results turned out to be, there’s always scope for improvement but wherever I go, I see people recognising me and I feel happy when they say they watched my matches. So many people came to the shooting arena as well, to watch the matches. It was really overwhelming for me, but I appreciate it and love it.
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ELLE: What’s your diet like? Do shooters also intensely monitor their food intake like other sportspersons?
Manu Bhaker: Yes, I don’t know about other shooters, but I do it, I have been doing it for many years now. I have a nutritionist, and she makes a meal plan for me. Right from supplements to what you need to eat in a day, the protein intake, the carbs intake, everything. Even for the recovery and rest, she takes a note. Of course, we are allowed a cheat meal once in 15-20 days, not a proper cheat, but only a little bit.
ELLE: Any favourite food indulgences, say something from KFC once in a while?
Manu Bhaker: My favourite is aloo parathas by my mum but I recently saw KFC’s new Indian Spicy Veg Roll, and that has really become one of my favourites now. I also like jalebi, but I’m not allowed to eat a lot of sugar, so have to keep my cravings in check.
ELLE: What’s your favourite cuisine?
Manu Bhaker: I love Indian food, nothing tops that. Then maybe some sushi, Japanese, Italian & Mexican.
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ELLE: How do you keep your mental health in check when dealing with such stress-inducing situations?
Manu Bhaker: My go-to therapy is music. Music has always helped me through thick and thin. I have so many different playlists for different moods. For when I’m happy, sad, if I need to be motivated, or when I’m feeling emotional. The second thing is I talk to my family. My parents, my brother, my friends. Apart from this, I think it’s very important to have a hobby. I have many hobbies, I play the violin, I play different sports, and I’m active in the gym too.
ELLE: Three songs on loop in your playlist.
Manu Bhaker: I have one violin instrumental song that I really love. The energy of it is really cool. I also like something bold and different, something from Kailash Kher. His range is very versatile. I also love the Ganpati Aarti.
