Manu Bhaker ended India’s 12-year quest for an Olympic medal in shooting.
Manu Bhaker, 22, began India’s medal count at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol final on Sunday. One of India’s top medal hopes, Bhaker lived up to her hype by becoming the country’s first female Olympic medallist in shooting.
With her victory, India’s shooting drought at the Olympics came to an end. The nation had failed to medal at the Rio Games in 2016 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Manu received a score of 221.7, capping her journey of atonement. She had placed fourth in the qualification round the day before. All eyes were on Bhaker from the minute the second day of the Olympics began.
Even though PV Sindhu, Sreeja Akula, and Nikhat Zareen scored commanding victories, Manu was the one who gave India its moment in the sun when the flag was lifted high.
Manu was devastated three years ago in Tokyo when her gun malfunctioned during the qualification round, preventing her from moving on to the finals. She admitted that it took her a long time to move past the disappointment, but the payoff for her perseverance and diligence was well worth the effort.
Manu came agonizingly close to landing a silver. Positioned third in the last five rounds, she gave a real scare to the second-placed Kim Yegi of South Korea when she fired a 10.3 to take a marginal 0.1 lead over her opponent.
However, the final shot pushed her back to third as Manu shot 10.3 and Yegi a 10.5. Oh Ye Jin of South Korea took gold clocking 243.2 and making an Olympics record in the process.
Manu Bhaker’s Inspiring Journey
Manu, a formidable force in the field of shooting, hails from Haryana, the birthplace of combat sports. Though grapplers and fighters are highly skilled in her state, Bhaker forged her way by switching from the boxing ring to the shooting range.
Bhaker’s voyage started far from the pistol’s accuracy. In her early years, she was a multi-talented athlete who experimented with tennis, skating, and even the martial art of thang ta, where she won national titles. However, her path was altered by the allure of the Olympics, sparked by the Rio Games in 2016.
Shooting had stolen Bhaker’s heart at the age of fourteen. She decided to buy her father a pistol almost on impulse, which paved the way for her quick ascent to fame.
There was no denying her skill. Her entry into the shooting fraternity was heralded by a surprise victory over seasoned Olympian Heena Sidhu at the national championships.
Bhaker’s career was filled with highs and lows, from the silver lining of the Asian Junior Championships to the near-miss at the Asian Games. But her shining performance at the Youth Olympics cemented her reputation as a shooting prodigy.
Also Read: Who is Manika Batra? First Indian Table Tennis player to make it to RO16
Her achievement of becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in shooting at the age of sixteen propelled her to national prominence.
With the experienced marksman Jaspal Rana at his side, Bhaker’s rise went on. Her spot on the Indian shooting squad was secured by a strong showing in the Olympic Selection Trials, which paved the way for her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
