Manu Bhaker has to learn to deal with public glare post her success at Paris 2024 Olympics

Add as a preferred source on Google

The sweet-bitter taste of success has already kissed the tongue of Manu Bhaker. If you think this is some kind of a tongue-twister or wordplay, no, this is reality. A bit about how things change post-high success.

Celebrity status, adulation, love from fans and the public plus dominating headlines, all this is a package deal. Post the two medals won at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Manu Bhaker returned to India, met important people and again flew back to the French Capital for the closing ceremony.

From there began her travails, first, due to a certain amount of indiscretion from her mother while interacting with Neeraj Chopra and then being exposed to far too many media interactions and public forums. Questions asked are not always easy, relating to her sport or success. There are questions with a spin as well, and questions which will test awareness.

Two incidents happened very recently in Chennai at a well-known school function celebration to fete champion Manu. First, Manu drew a blank when someone tried to engage her in a conversation with the name of "Stalin." Also Read: Manu Bhaker: Inside Lifestyle And Fitness Routine That Fuels Indian Shooting Star

While it is not necessary for an elite athlete like Manu has to know the details of all the politicians in the country, a certain amount of homework and preparedness will definitely help. There is a vast divide between North and South India for sure. To have been nudged into answering who MK Stalin, the CM of Tamil Nadu is, Manu had tripped.

Never mind, nobody is going to judge her on general awareness since her domain expertise is shooting. Yet, what a celebrity athlete like Manu Bhaker needs to know is dealing with success is not easy. In an age where social media is so intrusive, plus the hard-core media, dealing with questions needs tact and a quick response.

Apparently, at the same event, she was also asked a question about Vinesh Phogat and what her mother had spoken with Neeraj Chopra in Paris. These were tricky questions and she should have let it pass. Also Read: Manu Bhaker Felicitated by Velammal Academy: Full Details

If it's true she walked away from the platform, then it's definitely not on. An Olympic star who has won two medals will be subjected to similar stuff as well in the future, and she cannot run away from it.

At 22, Manu is still young and has hardly seen anything in her life beyond the shooting ranges. The challenge begins now. She is going to be hyped further, she will become a public figure of sorts as well. This is where she has to learn from others who have been in her position before.

Nobody is hinting she has to become a good public speaker, but if she imbibes from how other Olympic icons like Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, RVS Rathore, MC Mary Kom and PV Sindhu have evolved, they are now role models. In fact, they are influencers as well.

If a social media post is put out by say Bindra or Sindhu or Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly says something about the recent incident in Kolkata, where a young lady doctor was killed, it gains traction. The reason is, that people treat it seriously and accord it high priority. This is where Manu needs to work on her skills. And, and she has enough time now.

Having decided to take a three-month break from shooting till November end on the advice of her coach Jaspal Rana, Manu Bhaker needs to understand how much life has changed for her. To keep in sync with this change, where stardom and fandom will haunt her, she has to realise how hard it is to be a superstar. One error, and it can lead to needless interpretation.

Does staying silent work in this case? No, certainly not. Manu Bhaker's name has already been dragged into the forthcoming Haryana state assembly elections. All this kite flying is bound to happen and Manu needs to ensure she handles all this well.

The trick, so to say, will be how smart she evolves as a role model. It's no secret, Manu Bhaker's success has made her so big, that she will be feeling the pressure of expectation not just in the shooting arena but also in life at large. She is raking in sponsorship deals and she has done an 'ad shoot' for a soft drink. She will be featured more often in commercials as well. Also Read: Manu Bhaker Graces the Cover of The Word Magazine After Historic Olympic Success

As much as her 'agents' will want to push her hard for maximum mileage and raking in the moolah, Manu has to ensure where to draw a line. She still has so much left in her sporting career, getting back to shooting will be the best. There have been classic cases of superstars unable to handle success and collapsing under pressure.

It happened to even 2004 Athens Olympics silver medallist RVS Rathore, who did badly in the next edition in 2008 in Beijing. In Manu's case, she faced "bad press" in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics. Now, she is the darling of the media, post Paris.

If lessons are to be learnt, there are many from Manu. Shooting is just a small part of it, as she would have realised in the last few weeks. The stark reality is stardom comes at a price and to be ready for it, plenty of effort has to be put in. Manu's brand value is soaring each day. At the same time, she is under intense scrutiny each day. Like it or lump it!