Have mixed feelings, could have done better: Bhaker on WC bronze

Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker has “mixed feelings” about the 25m pistol bronze medal she won in the just-concluded World Cup in Hangzhou, acknowledging that she could have done better in the event.

Bhaker was outperformed by Esha Singh, who took the gold, ensuring a double podium for India.

Bhaker is still in pursuit of her first individual gold of 2026, with a 10m air pistol mixed team silver with Samrat Rana at the Munich World Cup being her other notable performance.

At the Asian Championships in Delhi earlier this year, she did finish on top, but both of these gold medals came in team events. “Another bronze. I have mixed feelings about this one. I am happy that I was able to improve my performance, but at the same time, I know I could have done better,” she posted on ‘X’.

“What makes me happy is seeing that the hard work is showing. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and that’s what keeps me motivated. One step at a time,” added the 24-year-old, who is the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games. Bhaker is now gearing up for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where she has been picked to compete in two events -- 10m air pistol and 25m pistol. She endured a difficult build-up to the Hangzhou World Cup as her mentor and long-serving national coach, Jaspal Rana, died of heart-related complications at a relatively young age of 49 in June.

At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, Bhaker had anchored the Indian women’s team’s gold-winning performance in the 25m pistol event.