'I shouldn’t have gone to Olympics': Heartbroken Manu Bhaker to father after Khel Ratna snub

India's top shooter Manu Bhaker, who made headlines at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning two bronze medals, is devastated over not being nominated for the Khel Ratna award. Manu reported that she had submitted her application through the online portal but did not make the 30-name shortlist. As the first Indian athlete to win two medals at the same Olympic Games, she is understandably upset about her exclusion from the country's highest sports honour. Her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, has even expressed regret about her pursuing a career in shooting, suggesting she should have taken up cricket instead.

In an interview with the Times of India, Manu Bhaker's father criticised the sports ministry and the committee responsible for selecting Khel Ratna nominees. While the ministry claims that Manu did not submit her name for the award, the shooter has refuted this statement.

"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 told Times of India.

Reportedly Manu Bhaker did submit her name through the online portal for the Khel Ratna award. The sports ministry and the federation are reportedly in discussions to clarify the situation.

"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," the source said.

The Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker has also reportedly applied for the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, which are the country's third and fourth-highest civilian awards, respectively. According to reports, her applications were submitted on the Padma awards portal on September 15.

Meanwhile, a senior source from the sports ministry informed the news agency PTI that the names for the Khel Ratna award are still under consideration, and Manu Bhaker is expected to be included when the list is announced in a week's time.

"There is no final list of nominees at this point. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya will decide on the recommendations in a day or two and her name, in all likelihood, will be there in the final list," a ministry source said.