Manu Bhaker became the first female shooter from India to win an Olympic medal in the Paris Games, setting a historic record in the 10m air pistol event.
In the women’s 10m air pistol event on Sunday, Manu Bhaker showed incredible bravery to vanquish the demons of Tokyo and give India a historic bronze medal. After a 12-year wait for an overall Olympic medal in shooting, she became the first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Games. India’s last Olympic medals were from the 2012 London Games, where 10m air rifle marksman Gagan Narang took home bronze and rapid-fire pistol shooter Vijay Kumar took home silver.
Three years have a big impact on your self-esteem. Bhaker had been brought to tears with a pistol malfunction at the Tokyo Olympics qualifying round in 2021, but she was a completely different shooter this time around. Manu became the most recent sports figure to experience redemption—from considering retirement following heartbreak at the Tokyo Games to taking home a historic bronze in Paris.
“It took me a very long time to get over my disappointment following Tokyo. To be very honest, I have no idea how amazing I feel right now,” Bhaker remarked.
After placing third with 580 in the qualification rounds, Manu became the third Indian woman to get to the final stages of an individual shooting event at the Olympics. She shot 221.7 in the final to take home the bronze.
With a 0.1-point advantage over Kim Yeji of South Korea, she was in the competition for the silver medal. However, in the final shot, the Indian shot a 10.3, while the Korean shot a 10.5 to take the lead and win the silver.
Oh Ye Jin of South Korea won the gold medal after shattering the Olympic record. She broke Vitalina Batsarkshkina’s previous record of 240.3 with a final score of 243.2.
The Olympic medalist’s “herstory” of Manu Bhaker
Originating from Jhajjar, Haryana, a state well-known for its athletic prowess, Bhaker showed an early aptitude for athletics. She participated in tennis, skating, boxing, and thang ta martial arts, earning renown across the country in these sports.
A turning point occurred in 2016 when 14-year-old Manu developed a passion for shooting after being inspired by the Rio Olympics. She started her incredible adventure when she persuaded her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, to buy a sporting pistol in less than a week.
Manu’s ascent began in 2017 when she shocked the country by defeating Olympian Heena Sidhu in the 10m Air Pistol final, shattering the record with a score of 242.3 to win the national shooting championship title.
Later victories included a silver medal in the Asian Junior Championships and an ongoing worldwide showcase of extraordinary skill. She scored a Games Record of 593 in the 25-meter air pistol qualification round of the 2018 Asian Games, but she finished sixth and almost missed a medal.
Manu became the first Indian shooter and female athlete to win gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Youth Olympics, illuminating her star.
Under the guidance of coach Jaspal Rana, she demonstrated her superiority even more when she defeated Asian Games champion Palak by a wide margin of 4.4 points to win the Olympic Selection Trials T4 10m air pistol final.
