‘Nothing serious…’: Manu Bhaker speaks on elbow issues

NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker opened up on her return to sport and dealing with injuries, saying that her elbow issues are nothing serious and work is going on it with the help of her physiologists, strength and conditioning coaches, coach Jaspal Rana etc.

Bhaker was speaking on the sidelines of the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award on Monday, which she won. Days back, Manu made a return to the sport after a memorable two-medal Paris Olympics campaign in the National Selection Trials, where she secured third spot in the 25m Pistol competition.

Speaking to the media, Bhaker said, “I have been working on it (her elbow issues). My team of physios, strength and conditioning coaches, coach Jaspal Rana have been helping me. They all know when to taper down and when to increase the training. Shooters do experience in issues in elbow, shoulder etc and so I am. But it is nothing serious and worth worrying. Work is going on for it.”

On her comeback, the star shooter termed it “decent”. “I was happy and satisfied with it,” she added.

On getting the award, Bhaker said, “I would like to thank BBC for such a big honour and journalists for all the coverage. Awards have always been an inspiration for me. I will work harder from now on… We have World Cup in April, some domestic competitions in June, another World Cup in Munich and then World Championships later this year.”

#WATCH | Delhi | On receiving BBC’s Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award, Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker says, “I want to thank BBC for such a grand honour and the journalists for great coverage… Awards have always been an inspiration for me, and I will work harder from… pic.twitter.com/HsHPi7edCc

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025

Bhaker, World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and Para Athlete Praveen Kumar were awarded the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in January.

Bhaker opened India’s medal tally in the Olympics after she secured third place in the women’s individual 10m air pistol event, becoming the first-ever woman shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. Following that, Sarabjot Singh and Bhaker won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol (mixed team) event, which was India’s first-ever shooting team medal.

In her final event, she narrowly missed out on the historic grand treble and finished fourth in the women’s 25m pistol shooting event. She missed out on the opportunity to become the first Indian to win three medals at the Olympics.

The young shooter’s sweet redemption came after a disappointing Tokyo Olympics campaign in 2021, where a malfunction in her gun cost her a medal. During the 10 m air pistol qualification round during the Tokyo Olympics, her gun malfunctioned, which caused her to lose a lot of time. She was left with a very short amount of time to carry out her quota of shots. She missed the top-eight finish required to qualify for the final round and finished at the 12th spot. In the 25-metre pistol event, she failed to qualify further, finishing in the 15th spot. Her 10 m air pistol mixed team event did not go well either, as she finished in seventh overall. (ANI)