Manu Bhaker's father breaks silence over shooter's Khel Ratna snub: 'I should have made her a cricketer'

Manu Bhaker's father breaks silence over shooter's Khel Ratna snub (Reuters)

Manu Bhaker, who secured two out of the six medals India won at the Paris Olympics, is completely shattered over her snub from the prestigious Khel Ratna. The 22-year-old has stated that she submitted her name in the online portal for the recognition but her name didn't feature in the shortlisted candidates. A total of 30 athletes have been shortlisted for the award.

Manu scripted history at the Paris Olympics 2024, becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Summer Games. Reacting to the snub, her father Ram Kishan Bhaker said he regrets putting his ward into a sport like shooting. He expressed that they should have pursued cricket instead. Manu's father in an interaction with the Times Of India was highly critical of the sports ministry and the committee finalising the list of Khel Ratna nominees.

"I regret putting her in the sport of shooting. I should have instead made her a cricketer. Then, all the awards and accolades would have come her way. She won two Olympic medals in a single edition, no one has ever done that. What else do you expect my child to do for the country? The govt must recognise her efforts. I spoke to Manu, and she was disheartened by all this. She told me 'I shouldn't have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn't have become a sportsperson'," Manu's father was quoted as saying by the national daily.

The ministry, however, has mentioned that Manu didn't submit her name for the award, while the shooter has stated otherwise. The development has initiated talks between the sports ministry and the federation to understand the matter.

"Manu said she had applied on the portal. If that was the case, then the committee must have considered her name. Whatever the situation, the federation has approached the ministry and requested the officials to include her name," a source was quoted as saying to the newspaper.

As per reports, Manu had also applied for Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the country's third and fourth-highest civilian awards, respectively. The applications were submitted on the Padma awards portal on September 15.