Manu Bhaker - Paris 2024 Olympics
Manu Bhaker made history by winning the bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to achieve this feat in Olympic shooting.
This achievement marks India's fifth medal in shooting at the Olympics and is the country's first medal in any sport at Paris 2024. India previously had a strong showing in shooting from Athens 2004 to London 2012 but did not secure any medals in the following Games.
At 22, Bhaker scored 221.7 in the final, placing her third among eight competitors. South Korea’s Oh Ye Jin won gold with a record-breaking 243.2, while her compatriot Yeji Kim took silver with a score of 241.3, narrowly edging out Bhaker for the gold medal round.
Bhaker started the final strong, with a score of 50.4 in her initial series, briefly holding second place. Despite a few lower scores in subsequent series, she managed to reclaim second position briefly. However, Kim’s performance in the final moments just surpassed Bhaker’s by 0.1 points.
Reflecting on her performance, Bhaker said, “I focused on giving my best until the last moment. Though I lost silver by just 0.1 point, I am proud to bring home the bronze for my country.”
In the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Bhaker faced a setback due to a malfunctioning pistol, which cost her a chance to qualify for the final.
India’s first Olympic shooting medal was won by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who secured silver in men’s double trap at Athens 2004. Abhinav Bindra followed with a gold in men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008, and Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar added silver and bronze in London 2012.
On Saturday, Bhaker advanced to the women’s 10m air pistol final by finishing third in the qualifiers, becoming the first Indian woman in two decades to reach this stage. Hungary’s Veronika Major, who led the qualifiers, was the first to be eliminated in the final.
Bhaker will also participate in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Monday and the women’s 25m pistol event starting Friday. She is the sole member of the 21-strong Indian shooting team competing in multiple individual events.
Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta Advance to 10m Air Rifle Finals
Earlier in the day, Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta qualified for the finals in their respective 10m air rifle events. Jindal, 20, who won a bronze at last year’s Asian Games, finished fifth in the qualifiers with a score of 631.5. South Korea’s Hyojin Ban led with a Games record of 634.5. Elavenial Valarivan, who scored 630.7, missed qualification by 0.6 points.
In the men’s 10m air rifle event, Babuta scored 630.1, securing seventh place, while Sandeep Singh finished 12th with 629.3 and did not advance.
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