‘I Didn’t Even Know What Shooting Was’: Manisha Keer’s Journey From a Village Near Bhopal to the Asian Games

For Manisha Keer, shooting was never supposed to be the destination.

Growing up in a modest family in a village near Bhopal, she knew the sports that most children around her knew. Cricket, volleyball and football were familiar. Shooting was not. In fact, when Manisha first encountered the sport, she did not even know what it was.

“I didn’t even know what shooting was. I only knew cricket, volleyball and football. I didn’t even know about shooting and I didn’t even think about it,” she recalls.

Years later, that unfamiliar sport has become the centre of her life. From the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy to junior world-level success and an Asian Games medal, Manisha has built an international career out of what was once a completely unexpected opportunity. And as she prepares for another Asian Games challenge, her story remains rooted in the same quality that helped her get started: making the most of whatever she had.

Manisha's introduction to shooting came through her elder sister Sona, who was herself a sportsperson. It was a chance encounter that changed the direction of Manisha's life. But discovering the sport did not mean the path ahead suddenly became easy. Manisha came from a family with limited financial means, and shooting brought expenses that were difficult to manage.

Equipment, travel, food and competition costs all added pressure. “My family was not that capable to support me. They couldn’t give me everything that I wanted. It was very difficult for me,” she says.

For a young athlete, those limitations could easily have become a reason to stop. For Manisha, they became part of the learning process.

The financial challenges became especially difficult when Manisha began travelling for competitions. At just 18, she found herself making choices that most young athletes would rather not have to make. “When I used to go out for competitions, I had to face a lot of challenges. I couldn’t eat what I wanted to eat. I had to save some money,” she recalls.

The difficulties did not end at the competition venue. During her early years at the academy, there was no regular coach. Manisha had to learn with the people around her and use whatever resources were available. Her sister once again became an important source of support and guidance.

“In the academy, whatever was there was enough for us. I mean, you have to do what you have,” Manisha says. That sentence perhaps captures her journey better than anything else.

She did not have the perfect conditions. So she learnt to work with the conditions she had. Rather than constantly thinking about what was missing, she focused on what could be done with what was available.

Slowly, the results began to follow. Manisha developed into a competitive trap shooter and started making her presence felt beyond India.

One of the major breakthroughs came in 2018, when she won a silver medal in trap at the Junior World Championship. For someone who had once not even known that shooting existed as a sport, reaching the world podium was a remarkable transformation.

Her success continued into senior competition, where she became part of India's international shooting contingent. The Asian Games brought another memorable achievement.

Manisha won a silver medal as part of India's women's trap team, adding a continental medal to her growing list of accomplishments. But the medals tell only one part of her story. Behind each result were years of travelling, adapting, managing limited resources and learning how to stand on her own.

The challenges of her early career taught Manisha something that extended beyond shooting. Being away from home and dealing with difficult circumstances forced her to become independent at a young age. “No one can be together all the time. We have to take care of ourselves too. That was also a learning point,” she reflects.

That independence has become an important part of the athlete she is today. Shooting is an individual sport in many respects. The athlete eventually has to stand alone behind the gun, manage the pressure and execute when the moment arrives. For Manisha, those lessons began long before she stepped onto the biggest international stages.

“I learned from whatever I had, and that’s how I grew up,” she says.

As Manisha's performances improved, the support system around her expanded as well. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) became an important part of her progression, providing a pathway for her to compete at national and international competitions. For an athlete from a financially constrained background, that support can make a significant difference.

“Of course, the support from the NRAI has been very important for me,” Manisha says. “When you come from a background where you don’t have everything, having an organisation that gives you the opportunity to compete, train and represent the country means a lot.”

Her gratitude is also a reflection of how far she has travelled. The girl who once knew only cricket, volleyball and football is now an established Indian trap shooter preparing for another major international assignment.

As the Asian Games approach, Manisha will once again have the opportunity to represent India on a major continental stage. There will be no novelty in the sport for her now. The unfamiliarity that defined her first steps has been replaced by years of experience at the highest levels. Yet the mindset that took her from the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy to the international podium remains unchanged.

She learnt to work with what she had. She learned to travel, adapt and take responsibility. And, most importantly, she learned not to allow difficult circumstances to decide how far she could go. Manisha Keer's journey is therefore about much more than shooting medals. It is about discovering an opportunity almost by accident and then refusing to waste it.

From a village near Bhopal to the world stage, her career has been built one lesson at a time.

“I didn’t even know what shooting was” may have been how the story began.

Today, Manisha Keer knows exactly what it means to represent India.