Manu never returned empty-handed from any tournament, says elated father

Moments after teenaged shooting sensation Manu Bhaker clinched the gold in women's 10m Air Pistol event at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (CWG), her proud father Ram Kishan Bhaker on Sunday said he was confident of his daughter's success.

Delighted at the 16-year-old's feat, the senior Bhaker said Manu was always never in the habit of returning empty-handed from any competition.

"It is easy to boast after a win. But the truth is she never returned empty-handed from any tournament, whether it be the school or national level," Ram told IANS.

He added that he had always encouraged the yongster to enjoy her game and play freely without bothering about the outcome.

"Before leaving for Gold Coast, I asked her to enjoy her game and not worry about the result. Winning and losing are part of any sport," he said.

On being asked if he found Manu under any kind of pressure ahead of her debut in the Commonwealth Games on Sunday, Ram replied in the negative.

"She never takes pressure and always plays freely. She just focusses on each shot rather than the whole game. Her main focus is on bettering her effort in each shot," he said.

Opening up on his plans of celebrating the gold medal effort, Ram said: "There will be grand celebrations once Manu returns to her native in Goria, Haryana."

Expectations from Manu to fetch a CWG medal rose after she had clinched golds in women's 10m air pistol and mixed team pistol at the ISSF World Cup in Mexico last month.

(Abhishek Upadhay can be contacted at abhishek.u@ians.in)

--IANS

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