Manu Bhaker faces unwarranted criticism as pistol malfunctions costs final spot in Olympics; Heena Sidhu comes to rescue
Manu Bhaker started the qualification very strongly with a 98 in the first series but the concentration of the 19-year-old was intterupted when she had to face technical issues in her equipment during the second series.
New Delhi: Indian shooting contingent’s woes continued on Day 2 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as both Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal failed to qualify for the medal round after finishing 12th and 13th respectively in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol Qualification, here at the Asaka Shooting Range on Sunday.
The world number two Manu Bhaker amassed 575 points at an average of 9.583 after shooting 60 shots on the target while the world number one Yashaswini Singh Deswal gathered 574 in the qualifications, which in the end was just not good enough to make it to the 8-player final.
Participating in her maiden Olympics, Manu Bhaker started the qualification very strongly with a 98 in the first series but the concentration of the 19-year-old was intterupted when she had to face technical issues in her equipment during the second series. She lost more than 5 minutes and managed 95 followed by a 94.
The determination and mental toughness of Bhaker was at full display at the range in the second last series as the shooter scored a brilliant 98, but followed it with a disappointing 95.
For Yashaswini Singh Deswal the start was a bit jittery as the star shooter accumulated 94 and then 98 in the second series. She then proceeded to score a 94 followed by a brilliant 97. The two 94s did a lot of damage to Yashaswini’s chances as even after scoring a 96 and 95 she failed to qualify for the final.
Heena Sidhu comes to rescue and wrote, “For all d people who are quick to judge that Manu succumbed to pressure. I just got to know what happened to her equipment in detail n how much time she lost. She didn’t succumb to pressure she rose to it. Giving a score of 575 in less than 34 mins is n achievement of her nerves.”
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist further wrote: “She was so close that if that last shot was an inner 10 she wud have been in the finals even after going through a complete weapon breakdown in between the match. Stop judging athletes on numbers coz maybe that’s the only thing u can understand. Start understanding Performance!!”
She was so close that if that last shot was an inner 10 she wud have been in the finals even after going through a complete weapon breakdown in between the match. Stop judging athletes on numbers coz maybe that's the only thing u can understand. Start understanding Performance!!
— Heena SIDHU (@HeenaSidhu10) July 25, 2021