Noted Olympian Manu Bhaker was recently attending an event in New Delhi to celebrate the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) completing years. During an interaction with the media, the 24-year-old was asked to comment on rising batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshiwho has taken the world by storm at the age of 15.

Bhaker, in response, said, “I would say that if the mentorship is good, the company around him is good, and the people around him are good, then age is just a number. And there is no age for talent. Great things happen at 60; they happen at six. So if the people around him mentor him well and guide him properly, then I am sure he will be the next big star.”

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Bhaker won two bronze medals, both coming in the 10-meter Air Pistol, with one being an individual event and the other being a mixed team event. The Indian contingent won one silver medal and five bronze medals to end with a total of six medals.

Social media fumes at apparent disrespect to Olympian

Former Kolkata Knight Riders director Joy Bhattarcharya was one of the names to call out the question to a noted Olympian. Taking to his X-handle, Bhattacharya wrote, “Folks, she is an Olympic medallist. To ask her what she thinks of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is unfair on her achievements and her sports. Cricket anyway is the ruling passion of the country; your sports editors do not need another celebrity quote to spin a headline on Sooryavanshi.”

Another fan, though, saw nothing wrong with the question and praised the young shooter for her composure while answering the question and wrote, “It’s okay, they haven’t asked about a cricketer, they’ve asked about a 15-yr old making big, and she’s responded gracefully!.

He scored 43 runs off 16 balls in the PBKS vs RR match. The left-handed batter hit 5 sixes and 3 fours, taking his run tally to 400 in 9 innings.