{"id":113784,"date":"2024-08-13T22:42:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T22:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/13\/memories-of-a-lifetime-for-manu-bhaker-and-reetika-hooda-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T22:42:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T22:42:13","slug":"memories-of-a-lifetime-for-manu-bhaker-and-reetika-hooda-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/13\/memories-of-a-lifetime-for-manu-bhaker-and-reetika-hooda-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Memories of a lifetime for Manu Bhaker and Reetika Hooda | Paris Olympics 2024 News – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Memories<\/div>


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PARIS: Manu Bhaker fuelled India\u2019s hopes at the Olympic Games by bagging two bronze medals, so it was only fitting that the youngster came back from Delhi to carry the flag along with bronze winner and retiring hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as the curtains came at the stroke of midnight here at the Stade de France.
Manu, who won third place in women\u2019s 10m air pistol and team events and narrowly missed another third place in the women\u2019s 25 pistol final, enjoyed every moment of the three-hour long spectacle in front of more than 71,500 spectators, who filled the stands hours in advance for the program, that started with a musical performance followed by the entry of flagbearers from 205 delegations.
Sreejesh and Manu walked in dressed in the official team colours with \u2018India\u2019 glittering in golden bold letters on the back as loud applause rang from the hundreds of Indians who had taken their seat for the closing ceremony. \u201cIt was an unforgettable moment and I\u2019ll always cherish this day,\u201d Bhaker said. The 22-year-old added that it was \u201csuch a great honour to carry the national flag\u201d. <\/p>\n
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Manu\u2019s only disappointment was that she couldn\u2019t capture some of the treasured moments on her mobile phone. \u201cManu lost her phone when she returned to Delhi. She put it in airplane mode and left it on her seat and forgot to take it with her after landing in Delhi. It was a big loss as it was the same phone that was gifted to her by the official sponsor at the Tokyo Games,\u201d sources told TOI. \u201cA complaint was lodged with the carrier and we searched in the lost-andfound items. But Manu\u2019s mobile was not there,\u201d sources added.
Sreejesh, meanwhile, had no such problems and he was seen clicking away after they took turns to wave the national flag.
Wrestler Reetika Hooda was among the lucky few in the Indian contingent who got to stay back to be part of the closing ceremony. \u201cI felt very good to represent my country in front of such a large audience. It was a bitter sad moment for me as I missed out on a medal,\u201d said Reetika, the first Indian wrestler to qualify in the women\u2019s heavyweight category.
For Reetika, the big moment was not to watch Hollywood star Tom Cruise take the Games flag to Los Angeles but to meet and greet Cuban wrestling legend Mijain Lopez. Lopez won his first gold at Beijing in 2008 and he retired here after winning his fifth straight gold in the men\u2019s Greco Roman 130-kg category. \u201cI\u2019m not even a big fan of Bollywood, so Hollywood is very far,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cBut to meet and pose for a picture with Lopez sir was a priceless moment,\u201d she told TOI.<\/div>\n