Nagoya: Manu Bhaker’s journey from a 16-year-old making her Asian Games debut to becoming one of India’s flag-bearers has given her a moment to reflect on how far she has come in sport. The double Olympic medallist, who will lead the Indian contingent alongside kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat at the Asian Games opening ceremony here Saturday, said the honour brought back memories of her early days in shooting.
“Honestly, when I got to know yesterday, I had all these flashback memories of my earlier days. And, you know, when I started, I never thought that this is where I could reach one day in my sport. So, it is definitely a very heartwarming feeling. I feel really proud, honoured, and happy to be chosen as the flag bearer of my homeland. I just want to say thank you to God and thank you to everyone for all the love and support,” Manu said in an IOA video.
Bhaker is competing at her third Asian Games, having first represented India at the 2018 edition in Jakarta and Palembang. Her recollection of her early Games experience also highlighted how demanding the schedule can be for shooters, with competitions often beginning soon after the opening ceremony.
“I remember I was 16 years old at my first Asian Games, and this is my third. My first one was in Jakarta, though we were in Palembang, which was really far from the main village, so we were not able to go there. The first ceremony I ever attended was at the Commonwealth Games. My coach Jaspal Sir was like, ‘If you are the flag bearer, I will allow you to attend the ceremonies; otherwise, no,’ because we usually have our matches starting from Day 1 or 2, so it gets very hectic for us in shooting.
“Usually, our competitions start right the day after the opening ceremony. So after that, it turned out that every time I attended an opening ceremony, I was either holding the flag or watching it on TV. It feels very nostalgic because I never imagined I would be here one day. Sports is just amazing! That is all I have to say right now,” she said.
With the Indian contingent preparing for competition, Bhaker also called on her fellow athletes to focus their energy on making the most of their opportunity rather than dwelling on issues surrounding the Games.
“To all the athletes participating from India in the Asian Games in Japan, my message is that yes, we will have some issues. I saw a couple of issues circulating on social media, and people telling me about this or that. Regardless, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience. We have to make sure that we enjoy this time rather than complaining, and have the best time of our lives,” she said.
She urged the athletes to concentrate on preparation and performance, regardless of the eventual medal tally.
“We should prepare as best as we can and try to perform at our best. We have all worked so hard to be here, and we can’t waste our energy complaining about what’s right or wrong. Instead, the best we can do is give our best. Winning a medal or not is a different story, but what is in our hands is to give our best. I really hope a lot of Indians will be cheering for us. Thank you so much, all the best to everyone, and God bless us all,” she concluded.
