Mandaviya lauds Manu Bhaker, calls her product of Khelo India ecosystem

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said Manu Bhaker, who became the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal in the ongoing Paris Games, is a product of the sporting ecosystem created by the government's flagship Khelo India programme.

Bhaker showed tremendous fighting spirit on Sunday to end a 12-year medal drought for shooting at the quadrennial showpiece and put India on Paris Games medal table with her 10m air pistol bronze.

"When she met PM Modi (before the Games), she told him that 'the initiative of Khelo India has helped many athletes like myself in shaping our careers' and today, through Khelo India, many athletes are participating in many events," Mandaviya told PTI in an interaction here.

Bhaker, who has a plethora of international medals in her cabinet including gold from the world championships, has also been a gold-medallist at the Khelo India Games.

"Khelo India has two important flanks, through the KIRTI Project, we are doing talent identification