Manu Bhaker Arrives Home to Grand Reception After History-Making Feat at Paris Olympics 2024

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Paris Olympics 2024 double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker arrived back home to an enthusiastic reception on Wednesday (August 7) after her historic feat of winning two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games.

The star pistol shooter, who won two bronze medals in Paris, was welcomed by hundreds of supporters and her family, who braved a steady drizzle to give her a memorable reception in New Delhi.

Bhaker arrived from Paris to Delhi at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 9:20 AM by an Air India flight (AI 142), which was delayed by one hour due to inclement weather.

Hundreds of people, who waited at the airport long before her arrival despite the morning drizzle in the city, greeted Bhaker and her coach Jaspal Rana with a warm reception.

The 22-year-old Bhaker won a bronze each in the women's 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event - where she had paired with Sarabjot Singh - to script Olympic history for the country.

Before her, only British-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard had achieved the rare landmark for the country with his two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics but this happened in the pre-Independence era.

Before leaving for India, Bhaker had stated that she was looking forward to a grand welcome and she was not disappointed on Wednesday. The youngster was greeted with bouquets, garlands, and celebratory dhol after emerging from the airport exit.

Flower petals were showered on her and Rana as soon as they came out amid significant police presence to manage the crowd. Among those present were Bhaker's parents - Ram Kishan and Sumedha - and sports enthusiasts and officials.

People gathered at the airport long before her arrival and they celebrated her feat with song and dance, holding banners with photos of Bhaker and Rana.

Bhaker will be meeting sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the afternoon. She will head back to Paris on Saturday (August 10) to participate in the closing ceremony, where she will be one of India's flag-bearers on Sunday (August 11).