Young Manu Bhaker soaked in the pressure like a sponge, competing in back to back trials conducted by the National Rifle Association of India at the Karni Singh ranges in Tughlakabad over the last two days.
The young girl who had slogged even during lockdown last year due to Covid-19 during the pandemic at her home showed she has not lost touch. At a time when many seasoned rifle shooters struggled to get going during the trials in the Capital last week, young Manu showed she was still firmly in control.
Having been part of national camps held in the Bio Bubble in the Capital last year and also a camp in Bhopal recently, Manu first scored 590 in the qualification round in the 25-metre sports pistol event on Thursday.
The best came in the air pistol event on Friday on a cold morning. First, she shot 582 in the prelim phase out of a maximum possible 600. In the final, she was command as she shot a score of 239.3
It seemed like last March, Manu had been shooting the trials for the Tokyo Olympics at the same venue. Even at that time, when the NRAI went ahead with the trials to select the core group for the Olympics which eventually got postponed, it seemed bizarre as the Corona virus had started spreading in the Capital.
Return to competitive shooting has been a challenge and the NRAI delayed resumption of national camps for a variety of reasons. However, once the NRAI and the Sports Authority of India got the Bio Bubble working, it has been fruitful.
The core group of shooters have now come to terms with stringent measures in place when in the Bio Bubble. Staying in hotels under immense scrutiny and security, travelling to the ranges in a sanitised way, life has changed for sportsmen at large.
Maybe, shooting took more time to resume the camps and actual hard training at the ranges. The results are there to see as someone like Manu, a second year student of LSR College, has done well. At a time when there are doubts over the Tokyo Olympic being held this year as well, athletes around the world are going ahead with their preparations.
The hope is the Olympics will take place from July 23 this year in Tokyo.
In comparison to shooting, Indian badminton seems to have messed up with the Bio Bubble. Players who are in Thailand have complained of repeating testing and also failing the RTPCR test. Saina Nehwal, too, was a victim of it.
It is believed the testing procedures in Thailand were handled poorly and a few other players including PV Sindhi also had to undergo harassment of Covid testing. More than three badminton players nasal blood vessels were damaged during testing and they bled.
Hopefully, as the badminton tour moves to the next tournament in Thailand in the coming week, players will be better prepared for the grind. After all, even during the Olympics, Covid testing will be intense.
Mr. S. Kannan
Senior, Sports Journalist
