Manu Bhaker wins historic bronze in 10m air pistol shooting to get India off the mark at Paris Olympics
Manu Bhaker opened India's accounts at Paris Olympics with a historic bronze in 10m air pistol event, becoming India's first woman shooter to win Olympic medal.
Manu Bhaker displayed ice-cool nerves to bury the ghosts of Tokyo and get India off the mark at the Paris Olympics with a historic bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event on Sunday. She became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Games, ending a 12-year wait for an overall Olympic medal in shooting. The last time India won medals at the Olympics was at the London edition in 2012 when rapid-fire pistol shooter Vijay Kumar won silver and 10m air rifle marksman Gagan Narang clinched bronze.
Three years can do a lot to your confidence. A pistol malfunction in the qualifications at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had reduced Bhaker to tears but this time around, she was an entirely different shooter. From contemplating retirement after heartbreak at the Toky Games to winning a historic bronze in Paris, Manu became the latest example of redemption in sports.
"After Tokyo, I was very disappointed, and it took me a very long time to overcome that. Frankly speaking, I really can't explain how good I am feeling today," Bhaker said.
Manu, who became the third Indian woman to enter the final rounds of an individual shooting event at the Olympics by finishing third with 580 in the qualification rounds, shot 221.7 to finish third in the final to claim the bronze medal.
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She was in the running for the silver medal with a 0.1-point lead over South Korea's Kim Yeji but in the last shot, the Indian registered a 10.3 while the Korean replied with a 10.5 to march ahead with the silver medal.
South Korea's Oh Ye Jin broke the Olympic record to take the gold medal. She finished with a total of 243.2, bettering the previous record of 240.3 by Vitalina Batsarkshkina.
The ‘herstory’ of Manu Bhaker's Olympic medal
Hailing from Jhajjar, Haryana – a state renowned for its sporting prowess – Bhaker displayed a natural affinity for athletics from a young age. Involved in tennis, skating, boxing, and the martial arts of thang ta, she garnered national recognition in these disciplines.
A pivotal moment arrived in 2016 when, inspired by the Rio Olympics, 14-year-old Manu discovered a passion for shooting. Within a week, she convinced her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, to purchase a sports pistol, marking the inception of her remarkable journey.
Manu's meteoric rise began in 2017 when she stunned the nation by defeating Olympian Heena Sidhu to clinch the national shooting championship title with a record-breaking score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol final.
Subsequent triumphs included a silver medal at the Asian Junior Championships and a consistent display of exceptional talent on the international stage. At the 2018 Asian Games, she set a Games Record of 593 in the qualification round of the 25m Air Pistol event but narrowly missed a medal, securing sixth place.
Manu's star shone brightly at the 2018 Youth Olympics where she clinched gold in the women's 10m air pistol event, becoming the first Indian shooter and female athlete to achieve this feat.
Guided by coach Jaspal Rana, she further cemented her dominance by securing the top spot in the Olympic Selection Trials T4 10m air pistol final, outshining Asian Games champion Palak by a substantial margin of 4.4 points.
