Manu Bhaker wore borrowed kit at Asian Games opening ceremony after issued outfit did not fit
On September 22, 2026, at the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya, shooter Manu Bhaker and kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat served as India's flag-bearers. Bhaker led the contingent wearing a ceremonial outfit she had borrowed after the kit originally issued to her did not fit.
According to The Times of India, citing family sources, the jacket she was given sat badly and the shoes were the wrong size. Her father, Ramkishan Bhaker, told TOI: “Her shoe size was wrong. Manu wears a No. 5 shoe size. The one which was given to her was either 4 or 6. She borrowed the shoe fitting her size,” he alleged. A masseur associated with the Indian shooting team arranged the replacement kit through a private sponsor, and Bhaker wore that outfit during the athletes' parade. Bhaker had informed the NRAI that she preferred to spend the days before her events focused on practice, but officials in Nagoya selected her and she agreed after some persuasion.
Bhaker previously carried India's flag at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. The 16-year-old at that time won gold in the women's 10m air pistol with a final score of 236.5. She was born on 18 February 2002 in Goria, Jhajjar district in Haryana and is 24.
At Paris 2024 Bhaker shot 580 in qualification and 221.7 in the final to take bronze in the 10m air pistol. She added a second bronze in the mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh. That pair of medals made her the first Indian to win two medals at a Games since independence. She also finished fourth in the 25m pistol event at Paris 2024.
Her Asian Games record has varied across editions. In 2018 she shot 593 in the 25m qualification but finished sixth in the final. At Hangzhou 2022 she won the 25m pistol team gold alongside Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan. Bhaker was awarded the Khel Ratna in 2025 and works with coach Jaspal Rana.
Bhaker is scheduled to begin competition on September 23 in the 10m air pistol qualification. The mixed team event is set for September 25, and the 25m pistol competition takes place on September 27 and 28.
