India’s ace shooter Manu Bhaker, who made history in the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning two bronze medals, is heartbroken over the Khel Ratna snub. Manu claims that she had submitted her name in the online portal for the award, yet failed to make the 30-name shortlist. Manu, who is the first sportsperson from the country to win two medals in the same Olympic Games, is understandably disappointed to see her name not being considered for the highest sports honour in the country. In fact, her father has said that he regrets putting her into a sport like shooting. Should’ve, instead, made her a cricketer.
In a chat with the Times of India, Manu Bhaker’s father took a sharp dig at the sports ministry and the committee finalising the list of Khel Ratna nominees. While the ministry has said that Manu didn’t submit her name for the award, the shooter contradicts it.
“I regret putting her in the sport of shooting. I should have instead made her a cricketer. Then, all the awards and accolades would have come her way. She won two Olympic medals in a single edition, no one has ever done that. What else do you expect my child to do for the country? The govt must recognise her efforts. I spoke to Manu, and she was disheartened by all this. She told me ‘I shouldn’t have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn’t have become a sportsperson’,” Manu’s father told the paper.
It has also been reported that Manu submitted her name on the web portal. The sports ministry and the federation are said to be in talks to fully understand the matter.
“Manu said she had applied on the portal. If that was the case, then the committee must have considered her name. Whatever the situation, the federation has approached the ministry and requested the officials to include her name,” the source said.
Manu has also reportedly applied for the country’s third and fourth-highest civilian awards – Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, respectively. The applications, as per the paper, were submitted on the Padma awards portal on Sep 15.