Pistol star Manu Bhaker returned to the country on Wednesday after his historic feat of winning two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games and was welcomed by hundreds of fans and his family, who braved a steady drizzle to give him a memorable welcome. . in New Delhi. The Air India flight (AI 142), which brought Bhaker from Paris to Delhi, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 9:20 am, delayed by an hour.
Hundreds of people, who waited at the airport long before her arrival despite the morning drizzle in the city, gave her – and her coach Jaspal Rana – an enthusiastic welcome.
HISTORY | Olympic bronze medal-winning double shooter Manu Bhaker (@realmanubhaker) Come back home
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– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 7, 2024
Bhaker, 22, won a bronze each in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event – where she was paired with Sarabjot Singh – to write the country’s Olympic history.
Before her, only Anglo-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard achieved the rare milestone for the country with his two silver medals in the 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics, but that was in the pre-Independence era.
Before leaving for India, Bhaker said she was looking forward to a grand reception and was not disappointed on Wednesday.
The young man was welcomed with bouquets, garlands and celebratory dhol after exiting the airport.
Flower petals were showered on her and Rana as they left amid significant police presence to control the crowd.
Among those present were Bhaker’s parents – Ram Kishan and Sumedha – and sports enthusiasts and officials from his home state of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, the state to which Rana belongs.
Rana’s father was also at the airport.
“It is a matter of pride for us that a daughter of India is back after creating history by winning two medals at an Olympics. This has never happened before. She is just 22 years old,” said former Uttarakhand Sports Minister and Rana’s father. , Narayan Singh Rana.
“She comes along with her coach Jaspal Rana. He is my son. He brought glory playing for India in hurling. Jaspal Rana and Abhinav Bindra started it all,” he added.
People gathered at the airport long before his arrival and celebrated his feat with song and dance, holding banners with pictures of Bhaker and Rana.
Bhaker will meet Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the afternoon. She will return to Paris on Saturday to attend the closing ceremony on Sunday, where she will be one of India’s flag bearers.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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