Manu Bhaker after mixed event exit: 'I tried too hard but there’s a long journey ahead'

In what was a disappointing result for India, medal hopefuls Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary bowed out of the mixed 10m Air Pistol event on Tuesday at Tokyo 2020.

They finished as the number one pair at the end of the Qualification Stage One however, ended up on the seventh position after Qualification Stage Two and missed out on the medal play-offs.

Bhaker, 19, expressed her disappointment at the result but sounded optimistic about her upcoming event.

“I think I tried way too hard. It was my first Olympic Games but there is a long journey ahead,” said Bhaker in the aftermath of the mixed 10m Air Pistol event at the Asaka shooting range.

Incidentally, there was a moment after the first series when Bhaker turned towards her coach Ronak Pandit, and she was asked the reason for doing so.

“That was quite unexpected. Sometimes you don't have control over things. Either when you try way too hard or expecting too many things,” explained a dejected Bhaker.

The shooter from Jhajjar suffered a technical snag in the individual 10m Air Pistol event at Tokyo 2020. Bhaker had made a blistering start to her campaign, scoring 98 with her first 10 shots. However, at 156, she felt something wrong with her weapon. She consulted coach Ronak Pandit and found out that a lever in the pistol was broken, which was preventing the barrel from functioning smoothly.

By the time it was replaced, she had lost precious few minutes which affected her chances of making it into the final stage.

“Gun malfunction is never expected. The circuit only stopped working and the lever went loose. I tried my best; I just couldn't do it,” said Bhaker.

Saurabh Chaudhary shot 14 10s in the second stage of the Qualification however, Bhaker wasn’t in her usual element. She shot two 8s in each of the final two series, which in the end came back to haunt the duo.

It must be remembered that the duo of Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary have won five World Cup gold medals and one silver medal in mixed team event.

“I have always been trusting Saurabh. He has always been performing pretty well. Everyone wants to perform well. But sometimes if one of us doesn’t do well, we understand,” replied Bhaker when she was specifically asked about having let her partner down.

However, Bhaker is focussed on the 25m Air Pistol event which is scheduled to take place on Thursday and the youngster is determined to overturn her fortunes at Tokyo 2020.

“The other event is completely different. I have been preparing well for it. I think I will be fine,” she mentioned.

She was also questioned if participating in three Olympic shooting events was a bit too much for her at the age of 19, to which she retorted, “If you haven't noticed, I have been participating in three events for three years now. So why would it be any different now?”

Meanwhile, Chaudhary was short of words after making an exit from Tokyo 2020.

“No, it's not a big shock for me. I did what I could. No pressure because of the hype,” he said.