Manisha Keer

Some Lesser Known Facts About Maneesh Keer

• Manisha Keer comes from a lower-middle-class family. She began helping her father in the fishing business by age 4, alongside her siblings.

• Manish Keer pursued no formal education after 10th standard and devoted her time only to shooting practices.

• When she was 13, Manisha went with her sister to the state shooting academy in Bhopal. While she was there, they were holding shotgun trials.

• Manisha decided to participate and shocked everyone when she hit the target. Impressed by her skill, the academy offered her the chance to pursue shooting as a career. They also provided her with the training and equipment she needed.

• In 2015, Manisha Keer played for the first time at an International Organisation at the ISSF Junior category in Lonato, Italy; however, she did not win any medal during the tournament.

• In 2017, Manisha started competing in the senior category even though she was still a junior. She won medals in both the junior and senior categories in Jaipur.

• In 2019, Manisha Keer represented India in the junior trap shooting event of the ISSF Shooting World Championship in South Korea.

  

• During the championships, Manisha reached the junior world record; however, she won second place after a shoot-off with Italian shooter Erica Sessa, who went on to win the gold medal. ^[1]India Today

• According to Manisha, the turning point in her career came when she became the 1st Indian woman to win a Silver medal in the Junior Shotgun event at the ISSF Shooting World Championships held in South Korea in 2018.
• During the championship, she finished with 41 points, equalling the junior record in Trap for Women.
• In 2021, Manisha took part in the First Asian Online Shooting Championship and earned a medal.

• She achieved her highest-ever placement at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun stage, coming in seventh in the women’s Trap competition.
• During the event, she scored 23 out of 25 in each of the four previous rounds. Currently, she holds a world ranking of 37. ^[2]ISSF
• During an interview, Manisha Keer discussed that it was a lot of struggle to establish herself as a Trap shooter coming from a lower middle-class family as Trap Shooting is considered to be a sport for the royals or rich. She said,
  

  I come from a humble family in Bhopal. My father is a small fisherman. Growing up, I understood the importance of money from a rather young age and used to help my father in fishing. I had six siblings and my father could barely make enough money for all our expenses. Even though life wasn’t easy back then, I always had this innate motivation to do something in life. The turning point came when I visited the State Shooting Academy with my elder sister once. Our visit to the academy coincided with the Shotgun Trials held at the academy. Ever since I have been playing, I have tried as much as possible to improve with each tournament I have participated in.”

• When Manisha Keer is not playing at an event or practising shooting, she spends her time helping her father in his fishing business.

• Manisha Keer is personally trained by the Olympian shooter Mansher Singh before any International tournament. During an interview, she recalled the day she met Mansher Singh for the first time. She Said,
  

  I recall, I was standing there watching the trials when the Olympian Mansher Singh approached me and asked me to give the sport a shot. Let alone prior training needed to shoot, I didn’t even know the technique required to hold the gun. However, when I gave the sport a try, something within me clicked and I hit the target easily. Impressed by my shot, the authorities asked me to pursue the sport seriously and they also offered me training. That moment changed it all for me and the rest has been history. Since I played my first shot, I have been training extensively and playing with all the dedication that I have ever been able to muster. All thanks to the generosity of the state, I was provided with the equipment necessary for me to learn and become better at the sport. I stay at the academy only so that there are no distractions whatsoever.”