‘Unperturbed’ Manu seeks golden run
NEW DELHI: The stage is getting bigger and the expectations are going higher but Indian shooting sensation Manu Bhaker is grounded as she gears up for another test of her 16-year-old mind and body in next month’s Asian Games.
“I want to do well in those events (Asian Games followed by World Championships) but, frankly speaking, I am mainly thinking about competing in the next competition and not about medals. Pressure is there, but it’s there everywhere,” the shooter from Jhajjar, Haryana said.
Bhaker is also least affected by the controversies surrounding her selection in three events for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Jakarta and Palembeng from August 18.
The 16-year-old will next compete in 10m air pistol, 25m sports pistol and mixed air pistol at the Asian Games. In fact, her international gold medal count stands at an astonishing 10, a massive achievement for a teenager.
Ignored for the Asian Games mixed team air pistol event, the seasoned Heena Sidhu had hit out at the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and, in a thinly-veiled reference to the Haryana girl, said the federation was bending rules to favour the favourites. One of the “favourites” is understood to be Bhaker, who remains unperturbed.
“I am only concerned about my shooting. I am fine if I am picked in three events, if they select me for one event I am fine and if I am not picked for one, then also I am ok,” Bhaker said.
Bhaker’s inclusion reportedly pushed Sidhu to No.2 in the 10m air pistol event and No.3 in 25m sports pistol, from No.1 in the 10m air pistol and No.2 in 25m pistol.
NORTH KOREANS ARRIVE IN SOUTH
SEOUL: North Korean athletes arrived in the South on Sunday for joint training ahead of the Asian Games next month, the latest effort at rare cross-border sports diplomacy.
The two Koreas agreed last month to field joint teams in three sports -- canoeing, rowing and women’s basketball -- at the Asiad in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2.
Dressed in matching light blue outfits, the delegation of 34 athletes and coaches landed at Incheon International Airport via Beijing.
Their exact schedules have yet to be determined but the North Koreans are expected to begin training with their South Korean teammates next week. It is the first time North and South Korea have formed unified teams to compete at the Asian Games.
The two countries -- which are technically still at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty -- will also march together at the opening and closing ceremonies in Indonesia.The move follows an agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South’s president Moon Jae-in at their summit in April.