There seems to be no stopping Manu Bhaker at the Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old shooter has won two bronze medals and become the first Indian since Independence to win multiple medals at a single Olympics.
After winning India's first medal at the Paris Games by finishing third in the 10m air pistol event, Bhaker added another bronze to her name, combining with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Monday.
While the focus was firmly on Bhaker during the mixed team bronze medal play-off against South Koreans Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho, India's shooting team Coach Munkhbayar Dorjsuren's timely contribution did not go unnoticed as she took time-outs at just the right time to spur on her wards in a tense bronze medal match.
Mongolia-born Dorjsuren, who turned 55 on July 9, was appointed the foreign coach of the Indian national pistol shooting team in 2022.
This is her second stint in India. The two-time Olympic medallist previously trained Rahi Sarnobat, helping her win gold at the Asian Games 2018.
Interestingly, Dorjsuren has won Olympic medals for two different nations. She won the bronze medal in the 25m pistol event at the Barcelona Games 1992 for Mongolia. 16 years later, after she had moved to Germany and had taken up German citizenship, she again won the bronze in the 25m pistol event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Dorjsuren participated in six consecutive Olympics from 1992 to 2012, which was one of the key reasons why the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) picked her as India's shooting coach for the pistol team alongside two Indian chief coaches Samresh Jung and Ronak Pandit.
Dorjsuren's experience proved crucial for Bhaker and Sarabjot in the mixed team final where the shooters are allowed to take time-outs and speak to their coaches. Not only did she contribute with vital inputs but she was constantly egging Indian fans to cheer for the Indians.
When Dorjsuren was hired by NRAI two years, the target was the 2024 Paris Olympics and the shooting legend has certainly lived up to the promise.
