In the women’s 10m air pistol competition, Manu Bhaker showed incredible bravery to vanquish the memories of Tokyo and give India a historic bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. 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 previous Olympic medal haul came in 2012, when 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 was brought to tears with a pistol malfunction at the Tokyo Olympics qualifying round in 2021, but she was a very 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.
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 finished with a total of 243.2, bettering the previous record of 240.3 by Vitalina Batsarkshkina.
Hailing from Jhajjar, Haryana – a state renowned for its sporting prowess – Bhaker displayed a natural affinity for athletics from a young age. Involved in tennis, skating, boxing, and the martial arts of thang ta, she garnered national recognition in these disciplines.
A pivotal moment arrived in 2016 when, inspired by the Rio Olympics, 14-year-old Manu discovered a passion for shooting. Within a week, she convinced her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, to purchase a sports pistol, marking the inception of her remarkable journey.
Manu’s meteoric rise began in 2017 when she stunned the nation by defeating Olympian Heena Sidhu to clinch the national shooting championship title with a record-breaking score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol final.
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.
