Paris Olympics 2024: Double Medallist Manu Bhaker And Jaspal Rana Get Grand Reception After Landing In New Delhi
Paris Olympics 2024 double bronze medallist Manu Bhaker and her coach Jaspal Rana landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to a massive ovation on Wednesday (August 7). Manu won the bronze in 10m air pistol event and followed it up with a mixed team bronze in the 10m air pistol event with Sarabjeet Singh.
Manu could have become 1st Indian to won 3 Olympic medals in a single edition but ended up in 4th place in the 25m pistol final. The 22-year-old shooter is in town only for a few days and will be flying back to Paris as she is the flag-bearer for India in the closing ceremony this weekend.
The Air India flight (AI 142), which brought Manu Bhaker from Paris to Delhi, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 9.20am, delayed by one hour. Hundreds of people, who waited at the airport long before her arrival despite the morning drizzle in the city, accorded her – and her coach Jaspal Rana – an enthusiastic reception.
#WATCH | Double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker receives a grand welcome after she arrives at Delhi airport after her historic performance in #ParisOlympics2024
She won bronze medals in Women’s 10m Air Pistol & the 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event. pic.twitter.com/rcVgqkaxjP
— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2024
The young shooter was greeted with bouquets, garlands, and celebratory dhol after emerging from the IGI airport exit in New Delhi. Flower petals were showered on her and Rana as soon as they came out amid significant police presence to manage the crowd.
Among those present were Manu Bhaker’s parents – Ram Kishan and Sumedha – and sports enthusiasts and officials from her home state Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, the state to which Rana belongs.
Indian shooting coach and veteran shooter Rana’s father was also there at the airport. “It is a matter of pride for us that a daughter of India is coming back after creating history by winning two medals in an Olympics. It has never happened before. She is only 22 years old,” said former Uttarakhand Sports Minister and Rana’s father, Narayan Singh Rana to PTI news agency.
“She is coming along with her coach Jaspal Rana. He is my son. He brought glory playing for India in shooting. Jaspal Rana and Abhinav Bindra started it all,” he added.
Manu Bhaker will be meeting sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the afternoon on Wednesday. She will then head back to Paris on Saturday to participate in the closing ceremony on Sunday (August 11) where she will be one of India’s flag-bearers.