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Indian shooter Manu Bhaker and her family joined the jubilant fans in celebration as the Indian Men's hockey Team pulled off an edge-of-the-seat win over Spain to finish with the bronze medal at Paris 2024 Olympics. For the Bhaker family, steeped in the traditions of Indian sports, it was another time when they cheered as India won a record 13th Olympic medal in hockey.
The moment of victory, when the final whistle blew, Manu Bhaker, seated between her parents, beamed with pride and elation:
"Oh, great. We won, we won the bronze medal."
The moment of triumph was captured in these words. She further repeated twice:
"We worked really hard," appreciating the never-stopping effort of the hockey team for the victory.
Manu Bhaker's father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy, and her mother, Sumedha Bhaker, who has a master's in Sanskrit and was principal of a school in Goria, were equally elated. For the Bhaker's, it was a family high on support and enthusiasm, as they are huge lovers of Indian sports.
The hockey game itself was full of thrill. Both teams came gingerly out to test each other's defense skills. Spain struck first when Marc Miralles converted a penalty stroke, putting India on their heels. The Spanish outfit almost increased the lead when Borja Lacalle's shot came off the goalpost, however, India held firm.
The turnaround came just as the first half was heading for a close when Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh brought parity with a powerful penalty corner that revived the team's morale. Another well-executed drag-flick by Harmanpreet found the bottom left corner just three minutes into the second half, showing how skilled he is under pressure.
Spain pushed their limits to level the match, but India's experienced goalkeeper, Sreejesh, was there when it mattered most. Marking his last appearance in an international hockey match, he made some very critical saves in the ending moments. He was one of the reasons how India won by a 2-1 margin, taking home the much-anticipated bronze medal.
A glimpse of Manu Bhaker's shooting career
Manu Bhaker is no stranger to success when it comes to Indian shooting. She is a double bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It also made her the first Indian female shooter to win two medals at a single Olympics.
She also won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in 10m air pistol event.
Other achievements include a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in 25m air pistol women's team event and becoming the youngest female Indian shooter to clinch gold at 2018 ISSF World Cup at the age of 16.
