'I'd win a bronze for India': Manu Bhaker says she remembered Bhagavad Gita's teaching on Karma during Olympic shooting final

India at Paris Olympics 2024: Manu Bhaker on Sunday earned India's first medal of the 2024 Summer Games, clinching a bronze in the 10m air pistol event. 

Haryana-native Manu Bhaker, 22, also became the first Indian woman shooter to claim an Olympic medal by finishing behind the South Korean duo of Jin Ye Oh and Kim Yeji. This was the Jhajjar athlete's second Olympics.

When asked to elaborate on what was going through her mind in the final few moments in final, she said a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita came to her mind. She was focused on doing her best without being bothered about the outcome, she said.  

Here are five things from Manu Bhaker's first reaction after winning a bronze medal for India at the Paris Olympics 2024:

• "After Tokyo, I was very disappointed and it took me a very long time to overcome that. Frankly speaking, I really can't explain how good I am feeling today..."

• "It feels very surreal. I put in a lot of effort and even in the last shot, I was just fighting with all energy that I had..."

• "This is bronze and I'm very grateful that I could win a bronze for India... Maybe for better next time... "

• "Honestly, I read a lot of Gita. What was going through my mind is just do what you are meant to do if you do... do what you are supposed to do ... the destiny, you can't control the outcome of it." 

• "In Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna to focus on your karma and not on the outcome of the karma. So only that is running in my mind. So only that was running in my mind and I was like, okay do your thing and let it all be..."