The first thing Manu Bhaker thought while sitting on the sidelines seconds after missing out on a historic medal hat-trick at the Paris Olympics 2024 was the next Games in Los Angeles, America, four years later. The second was having lunch.

Independent India's first athlete to win two medals at the same Olympics did not have lunch even once since her events began at this Games. The timing of her shooting events meant she would leave the village after having breakfast and return only in the evening, making it impossible for her to have a meal in between.

"The moment my match was over, I was thinking about the next one while watching the last rounds," Manu told Jio Cinema after finishing fourth in the women's 25m pistol final. She lost in a shoot-off against Veronika Major of Hungary by one missed target. In the 25m pistol final, a target is considered "missed" if the score is less than 10.2 - that's how difficult it is.

Manu's final score was 28 in the event where she was nowhere among the favourites. But this was Manu's Olympics. Everything she touched turned into bronze (gold if you ask her supporters, who had seen her contemplate quitting shooting after the pistol malfunction in Tokyo three years ago).

Four days after joining the pantheon of India's sporting greats by becoming the country's only athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Games after Independence, Manu Bhaker was hoping to end her magnificent campaign in a blaze of glory. But things did not pan out that way. The pistol ace, though, added that there was "no pressure" on her for a third podium finish.

Despite winning two medals in the three events she participated in at the Paris Olympics, Manu did not seem satisfied with her performance. She was disappointed to lose out on the hat-trick. The 22-year-old fought back tears while thanking her coaches, well-wishers and family. "There has been a lot of hard work going on in the backstage. So many people have worked hard so that India can win a medal. Throughout my journey, it has been great. I want to thank the entire ministry, SAI, PM Modi, my coach, Jaspal sir, my family, my friends, the support staff at the range… I thank every one of you. I hope we come up with a better result next time," she said.

When Manu was asked how she would unwind after an intense last week, the history-making shooter said she would have lunch. "To begin with, I will eat lunch. All these days, I was not having lunch. I was just having breakfast, coming to the shooting range, and then having something in the evening," she said.

When Manu's mother, Sumedha, who had been praying for her right through the day, was given the same information, she promised her daughter "aloo ke parathe" when she returned home. "I don't know when she will be back but when she does, I will make her aloo ke parathe. She likes them," Sumedha told Jio Cinema.

Sumedha doesn't prefer to watch Manu's matches live. Fully aware of her mother's sacrifices to bring out the champion shooter in her, Manu thanked her with all her heart. “The message I want to give my mother is that thank you so much for your sacrifices. I hope you have a healthy and long life.”

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