Manu Bhaker scripted history, shooting an Olympic Bronze medal in Paris on Sunday, July 28. The 22-year-old from Haryana became the first Indian female shooter to win a medal at the Games after she clinched the third position in the women’s 10m air pistol final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in the French capital. Three years after a series of heartbreaks in Tokyo, one of India’s most celebrated and talented shooters fulfilled her dreams, bringing glory to the nation.
Manu Bhaker opened India’s account in Paris Olympics as the country ended a 12-year wait for a medal in shooting at the Games. Manu became only the fifth shooter after Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang to win an Olympic medal in shooting.
Manu Bhaker began the final on Sunday with a lot of confidence. When her name was called out at the shooting range, Manu managed to offer a smile to the TV cameras, much to the delight of the Indian crowd.
Manu started on a strong note, shooting 50.4 in the first series of 5 shots. Manu shot in excess of 10 three times in the first series. In the second set of 5 shots, Manu took her tally to 100.3 and managed to stay in the top 3 throughout the competition.
Manu Bhaker overcame the haunting memories of the Tokyo Olympics where the Indian shooter did not qualify for the final of even one of the three events that she competed in. Manu even decided to quit shooting last year before finding joy in the sport again. Manu was in good form in the lead-up to the Games and having faced highs and lows over the years shaped her to become the hungry shooter that she was in the range on Sunday.
Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification, showcasing her experience and ability to handle nerves better in Paris, on Saturday in the shooting range. Manu and her coach Jaspal Rana looked calm in the lead-up to the event. When Rana spoke to India Today earlier in the day, he was confident of her ward’s ability to get the job done in the biggest stage.
Manu Bhaker competed in as many as three events in her maiden Olympic Games in Tokyo – the 10m air pistol , the 25m pistol and the mixed team 10m pistol event. In fact, she faced a pistol malfunction during the qualification event of 10m air pistol. Manu lost as many as six minutes when she went to fix the part of her pistol — a delay that affected her concentration. The mishap in the qualification round affected Manu for the rest of the Games as she headed home empty-handed despite having been one of India’s biggest medal hopes.