2020 Olympics is just a few months away and one of the medal prospects for India is 17-year-old Manu Bhaker who has created ripples in India’s sporting scene right from a very young age. As a child, the Haryana born Manu Bhaker excelled in many sports but ultimately settled for shooting which has won her many accolades. Since her debut in 2017 at the Asian Airgun Championship in Japan, her journey has been nothing short of a fairy-tale with wins in important events. People expect a lot from her heading into the Olympics and it will be interesting to see how she copes up with the pressure. 63rd National Shooting Championship: Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat Win Gold Medal As Tokyo 2020 Olympics Quota Winners Continue to Shine.

On her 18th birthday, a look at some of the facts surrounding her life.

  • Her grandfather Rajkaran Saheb participated in the 1962 Indo China war, 1965 Indo Pak war and the 1971 Indo Pak war.

  • Manu Bhaker practised Huyen Langlon, a Manipuri martial art form as a kid in addition to tennis, boxing and skating.

  • She won gold in the 10 meter Air Pistol event with a record score of 240.9 at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

  • Manu Bhaker won nine gold medals at the 61st National Shooting Championship in Thiruvananthapuram in 2017 which is a national record.

  • During the Munich World Cup in 2019, her pistol broke in the 25-meter final forcing her to drop out.

  • At the National Shooting trials, she won the women’s 25m pistol and junior 25m pistol event which is an incredible feat.

  • She is coached by former Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jaspal Rana.

Manu Bhaker has been on top of her game for quite some time now and if she plays to her potential, an Olympic medal is certainly within reach.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2020 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).