Exclusive! Manu Bhaker battles sore elbow, records three Top 3 finishes in four NRAI trials

From the highs of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the return to the shooting trials, a regular feature in the planning programme of the NRAI, it is a hard battle. Manu Bhaker, too, had to go through the grind with a fresher lot, more fired up.

At the end of four trials, two each in air pistol and sports pistol, Manu was in the Top 3 in three trials. On Friday (February 14), she was outside the big three in air pistol, but not perturbed.

"On my comeback from a long break, it has been challenging. I am happy I am back but there is lot more hard work to be done with my coach Jaspal Sir," Manu Bhaker told MyKhel in an exclusive chat.

It has not been easy for Manu throughout the phase of the trials. She has been working on her fitness, gym plus the technique under coach Jaspal Rana, but her right elbow, the shooting arm, has been painful.

"There has been pain, but I am not going to use it as an excuse for not doing too well in the last trial," said Manu. She now plans to undergo rehab and strengthen the region well and again shoot.

"I know I will have to work harder and more consistently," said Manu, which is sign of being devoted and reverential. At the same time, she has been highly appreciative of again training under her coach.

Speaking to MyKhel, Dronacharya Jaspal Rana was point blank in his observations: "It is good Manu has come back and competed in a hard field. There are plenty of shooters there who are pushing hard, they are all eager and willing to shoot with focus.

"Yes, Manu returning after a long break is good. She knows she has to work harder. As a coach, I know she will do it, once her elbow flare-up is sorted. There is nothing to worry. She shot the entire Olympic Selection Trials last year in New Delhi and Bhopal with pain. She was also battling pain during the Olympics but we just kept pushing along," Rana told MyKhel.

Life has not been the same for Manu Bhaker after the Paris 2024 Olympics. She has become a celebrity, an icon, and stays one. Along with success came negative comments on social media, including unwanted comments.

Manu Bhaker handled all that with panache and has returned to shooting. When the controversy broken out over the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Manu was targeted as if she had 'begged' for the award. That was not the case. She was the obvious choice.

Slipping into the next Olympic cycle for Los Angeles in 2028, Manu Bhaker knows she has to peak again in cycles. In 2026, the Asian Games will be held in Nagoya, Japan.

"The Asian Games are important and Manu has to do well in it. The same applies to all other Indian shooters as well in the Asian Games. I can tell you from my experiences at the Asian Games, how much the Asian Games matter for the shooter and the country," stressed Dronacharya Jaspal Rana.