"Honoured, will always cherish it": Manu Bhaker after being named India's flagbearer at Paris Olympics closing ceremony
Aug 06, 2024
Paris [France], August 6 : After being named as the flagbearer during the closing ceremony of the ongoing Paris Olympics, Indian shooter Manu Bhaker said that it would be the honour of a lifetime for her.
Manu Bhaker opened India's medal tally after she secured third place in the women's individual 10M Air pistol event earlier at the Paris Olympics.
Speaking at a press conference at the India House, Manu said that she will cherish it for many years in her sporting career.
"I am honoured. This will be once in a lifetime opportunity and I will always cherish it as many years as possible in my sports career...It will be an honour of a lifetime. I will always cherish it," Manu said.
When asked about India hosting the Olympics in the near future, the India shooter added that it would be a big boost for the athletes in the country.
"I would love to see that. What I would love even more would be for Indians to win as many medals as possible. Hosting the Olympics would definitely be a boost for the athletes in India. It will inspire many people, children and parents to help their children reach that stage...Having the experience of that event will help the Indian society a lot to grow in terms of sports and that would definitely produce better athletes...," she added.
The 22-year-old added that she would like to be one of the greatest in shooting. She further added that her journey at the Paris Olympics has been fantastic.
"I would like to be one of the greatest. This is just a beginning for me. I want to devote my entire life to sports and India. I am just trying my best to win as many medals as possible for my country...The journey at the Paris Olympics has been fantastic for me. These two medals will help a lot...It would boost the confidence that they can also do well not just in one event but more events...My performance was very good. I performed world-class in the qualification of all the rounds...Everything was great," she further added.
After winning her first medal, Manu Bhaker partnered with Sarabjot Singh and won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol (mixed team) event.
Currently, the Indian contingent has won three bronze medals at the Paris Olympics and all of them came in shooting.
