Manu Bhaker was composure personified as she scripted history at the 2024 Paris Olympics for the second time in three days. After claiming a historic bronze in the women's 10m air pistol final on Sunday, the 22-year-old paired up with Sarabjot Singh to finish third in the mixed team event of the same discipline. As India added a second medal at the Games in Paris with the victory, Manu became the first athlete of independent India to bag two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.
The Indian duo defeated the South Korean combination of Lee Wonoho and Oh Yeh Jin 16-10 to win the bronze medal at Chateauroux's shooting range. It was at this very arena where Manu had earlier finished third in the women's 10m air pistol event on Sunday, thus completing a redemption journey as she put behind the memories of a horrendous Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020. While the medal ended India's 12-year wait for a shooting medal at the Games, it also made Manu the first Indian markswoman to bag a podium-finish at the Olympics.
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On Tuesday, with a second bronze to her name in Paris, Manu became the second Indian after Norman Pritchard to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games. However, for Pritchard, who claimed two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics, that achievement came in the pre-Independence era. (Paris Olympics 2024 Live Updates)
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, with a second bronze to her name in Paris, Manu became the second Indian after Norman Pritchard to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games. However, for Pritchard, who claimed two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics, that achievement came in the pre-Independence era. (Paris Olympics 2024 Live Updates)
{{/usCountry}}Manu also became the second Indian woman to win two medals in Olympics after ace shuttler PV Sindhu won silver in the women's singles badminton event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and followed it with a bronze medal haul at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Overall, she is the third athletes in individual sport have two Olympic medals for independent India. Wrestler Sushil Kumar was the first to have made the list, having won the bronze in 2008 Beijing Games and silver in 2012 London.
Come Friday, Manu will have the chance to add a third medal to her name at the Paris Olympics when she participates in the women's 25m air pistol event.