New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) India’s star of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Manu Bhaker, took to social media to write an inspiring message for all aspiring Olympic champions as a part of the 2025 Olympic Day, being celebrated across the globe on Monday.

Manu’s performances in Paris took the nation by storm as she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting with a bronze at Paris 2024 in the women’s 10m air pistol event. It came a day after she became the first female shooter to reach an Olympic final in an individual event in 20 years.

Just days later, she teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to win bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, making her the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single Olympic Games.

“Every day, I thank my fate and my gods, who made it possible for me to live the dreams of millions of athletes. My shooting career is 9 years young, but like a desi, I have been an athlete ever since I gained consciousness. There is no dream that cannot be fulfilled and no destination that cannot be reached, but the fuel will only be honesty, hard work, and hope. To all the aspiring Olympic champions, including myself, it’s just the beginning; we have so much more in us. Let’s get it! Jai Hind!! • #happyolympicday,” posted Manu on Instagram.

The Olympic Day, celebrated every year on June 23 since 1948, commemorates the revival of the Olympic Games in Paris on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was officially formed on the same day.

With the shooting contingent bagging three out of six medals for India at the 2024 Olympics, the popularity of the sport surged across the nation, with the athletes gaining widespread recognition all around the globe. The Indian shooters continued their meteoric rise with a successful stint at the recently concluded ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, where India secured four medals, two gold and two bronze medals.

–IANS

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