A 22-year-old Haryana girl clinched the first medal for India. Manu Bhaker strikes the bronze medal in Women’s 10m Air Pistol event in Paris Olympics in 2024. With her medal she becomes the first female shooter to win medal for India in Olympic games.
On July 27 Manu Bhaker had qualified for the final of her event with a score of 580 points, finishing third out of 45 competitors with the top-eight going through to Sunday’s final.
Bhaker scored 221.7 in the final round in which she fought hard against Korea’s Kim Yeji who bagged silver and Jin Ye Oh bagged the gold with a games record of 243.2. Bhaker stated, “I was fighting with all the energy I have. Really grateful that I could win the bronze. I read Bhagwat Gita and always tried to do what I am supposed to do, left everything else to god”.
“We can’t fight destiny,” said Bhaker who appeared in her second Olympic stint. Previously she couldn’t make it to the final and registered a bronze in this 2024 Olympic ending a drought in Olympic event.
This was fifth medal in shooting for India. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (silver in Athens Olympics, 2004), Bindra (gold, Beijing 2008), Gagan Narang (bronze, London 2012) and Vijay Kumar (silver, London) have brought prestige to the country in shooting.
Bhaker is one of the favourite contenders for India to top the medals in the Olympic. Bhaker, who hails from Jhajjar district in Haryana, is an accomplished athlete with a distinguished career, having secured 15 gold medals at various levels, including nine at the World Cups.
At just 22, she made a stunning debut at the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, clinching gold in the 10m air pistol final against top competitors like Olympic gold-medalist Anna Korakaki and three-time World Cup medalist Celine Goberville and in her first appearance in 2018 Common Wealth Games she clinched gold in 10m air pistol at the age of 16.
In 2018, Manu became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games. She has competed in two Olympic Games but faced challenges during her debut in Tokyo three years ago when her pistol malfunctioned in the 10m air pistol qualification, preventing her from reaching the finals in both the mixed 10m pistol and 25m pistol events. Despite this setback, Manu is now on a redemption path, earning the distinction of being India’s first female Olympic medalist.
With her historic achievement, Bhaker has not only inspired millions of young Indians but has also solidified her position as one of the country’s brightest shooting stars. Her bronze medal is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and unwavering belief in her abilities.
India is celebrating this momentous victory, with the entire nation joining in to congratulate the young champion. Her achievement is expected to give a significant boost to shooting in the country, encouraging more young talents to take up the sport.
