After finishing an agonising fourth to end her Paris Olympics campaign, double Olympic bronze medalist Manu Bhaker was asked what she would do now that she finally had some free time. Her answer: "To begin with, I'll probably eat lunch, because all these days I was like... not getting lunch. I was [having] breakfast and then [spending] the entire day at the range and then in the evening I was able to eat."
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The answer may appear flippant but it underlines just how hard the past nine days have been for Bhaker; for nine days, she's been in non-stop competition mode, whether training or actually competing. Most shooters don't experience this because they specialise in one event. Bhaker, though, was competing in three events and her coach Jaspal Rana would say that she'd be at the range by 7 am almost every day.
To get a feeling of just how strenuous these nine days -- a run unlike any Indian sport has seen before this -- must have been for her, we chart out the start timings (all times are in Paris time) for each event/session and how long it lasted.
What we can't quantify, though, is the mental exertion - shooting is a sport that demands intense focus and the finals or medal shoot-offs are high-pressure situations.
26 July, 11:45 AM (duration: 1 hour approx.)
10m air pistol women's pre-event training
27 July, 12:30 PM (duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes)
10m air pistol women's qualification
60 shots, where she hit 580/600, including 27 inner tens, qualifies third.
28 July, 12:00 PM (duration: 25 minutes)
10m air pistol women's final
221.7, survives five eliminations, pressure ratcheting up with each one, wins bronze
29 July, 9:15 AM (duration: 35 minutes)
10m air pistol mixed team qualification
30 shots, she hits 291/300 (Sarabjot hit 289), finishes third, qualifies for bronze medal match.
30 July, 9:30 AM (duration: 20 minutes)
10m air pistol air pistol mixed team bronze medal match
Across 13 sets of two shots each, India beat South Korea 16-10. Manu outscores Sarabjot.
1 August, 9:00 AM (duration: 1 hour approx.)
25m pistol women's pre-event training
2 August, 10.30 AM (duration: 45 minutes)
25m pistol women's qualification precision
30 shots, 294/300 and then in less than three hours she was back for more:
2 August, 1:15 PM (duration: 15 minutes)
25m pistol women's qualification rapid
30 shots, 296/300 for a total of 590/600 and a second placed finish
3 August, 9:30 AM (duration: 20 minutes)
25m pistol women's final
45 shots, including one elimination shootoff, and Bhaker finished third.