Manu Bhaker, Double Bronze Medalist of Paris Olympics, 2024, was felicitated by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, on behalf of the entire seafarer’s community in Delhi on August 16, 2024, informed Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, PIB.

Bhaker, the daughter of a seasoned seafarer, was felicitated with a Phoolam Gamusa, a model ship and a cheque of ₹10 lakhs, from Indian Ports Association (IPA), in recognition of her outstanding feat of being the only Indian to win two Bronze medals in a single Olympics.

Manu Bhaker also engaged with young seafarers among others and received the opportunity to share her experience on how being raised in a seafarer’s family has added to the values of discipline, dedication and focus.

Sonowal also felicitated Bhaker’s mother – Sumedha Bhaker – and her father – Ram Kishan Bhaker. Bhaker who works as a Chief Engineer on a merchant navy ship.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, stated, “The phenomenal achievement of Manu Bhaker at the Paris Olympics signifies her perseverance and relentless strive towards excellence. She represents the undying spirit of India’s youth aspirations to aim for greatness and with a morale to achieve it. Manu Bhaker is an inspiration to all of us, especially for our young seafarers, as she rightly identified how she imbibed the values of discipline, dedication and focus from her family and during her growing up years amidst the seafarer’s community. Her words of inspiration for our young seafarers will boost their resolve to aim and strive for excellence in their chosen field of profession.”

Speaking on the occasion, Manu Bhaker said, “I have fond memories of sailing on ships during summer holidays with my father, mother and brother. Those journeys were more than just vacations as it enriched me with learnings from different languages, cultures, and ways of life. I struggled many challenges along the way, but they only strengthened my resolve. I believe in pushing beyond limits – ‘Go big, then Go Home.’ It is about giving your all, knowing that the journey itself is as important as the destination, something, I think, that is intrinsic to seafarers community as any seafarer could relate to it.”

Adding further, Sarbananda Sonowal stated that through the leadership of PM Modi, programmes are being undertaken By the government “to infuse spirit of excellence and curate an ecosystem for sports to prosper and deliver stupendous performance at the global level.” He expressed that such strides will persist, “Modi govt’s unwavering commitment to celebrate and promote excellence in sports shall continue, recognising the invaluable contributions of athletes and maritime professionals in advancing the nation’s growth and development.”

He then lauded Manu Bhaker for her outstanding performance, marking a historic milestone as she becomes the only player to win two medals in the 10 Meters Air Pistol event. He also expressed gratitude to her parents for extending support to Manu Bhaker which further excelled her skills to win laurels for the country.

“She is going to win many more medals for the country as she has the ability, potential, vision, dedication, devotion, commitment and hard work to shine again and again. For Manu ji, our country is and will always be proud of her,” he remarked.

The event was also graced by the Secretary, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), TK Ramachandran; the Joint Secretary, MoPSW, R Lakshmanan; the Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Vijay Kumar among others.