In what otherwise a dull day for Indian shooters on Saturday, the Day 1 of the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker emerged as the silver lining. Shesecured a total of 580 points in the qualification round to finish third, also becoming the lone Indian to qualify for the medal match on Day 1.
Manu was up for the test on Sunday and she exceeded expectations. The 22-year-old was rock solid from the word go in the 10m air pistol women's finals, moving second and third during the course of the event. She eventually missed out the silver by 0.1 point as South Koreans fought for the gold medal.
Manu secured a total of 221.7 points, which gave her a bronze and India its first medal at the Paris Games. Manu, burst on to the scene at 15, and has since been India's biggest shooting prospect. On Sunday, the 22-year-old became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting.
Manu is still left to compete in the25m sports pistol and mixed event, which is scheduled later in the Olympics.
In this article, we take a look at Manu's meteoric rise in shooting over the years:
2017: Announces arrival in some style
Manu first burst onto the scene at 15 back in 2017 whenshe stunned Olympian and former world No. 1 Heena Sidhu to win the national shooting championships. Not only she defeated Heena, but she also deleted her national record and marked her 242.3 as the new one in the 10m Air Pistol final.
In the same year, Manu went on to add a silver medal at the 2017 Asian junior championships.
Winning this medal is a dream come true, not just for me but for everyone who has supported me. I am deeply grateful to the NRAI, SAI, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Coach Jaspal Rana sir, Haryana government and OGQ. I dedicate this victory to my country for their incredible… pic.twitter.com/hnzGjNwUhv
— Manu Bhaker (@realmanubhaker) July 28, 2024
2018: Senior debut and more history
Backed by impressive shows one after the other, Manu made her ISSF World Cup debut at 16 at Guadalajara, Mexico. She then smashed the junior world record in the qualification round and went to beat Olympic gold medallist Anna Korakaki, and three-time World Cup medallist Celine Goberville in the finals, where she won a gold. She achieved the feat by accumulating a total of 237.5 points, also making her the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at an ISSF World Cup.
She didn't stop there and formed a team with Om Prakash Mitherval in the same year. Together they wona gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event at the World Cup.
Manu, who was still 16 then, was eligible to take part in the ISSF Junior World Cup, which she did. She was a no match for her opponents and returned home with gold medals both in individual and mixed team event in the 10m Air Pistol.
The same year Manu took part in her first Commonwealth Games, where she clinched gold andset a newGames record.
Congratulations #ManuBhaker on getting India’s first medal! You’ve made proud! pic.twitter.com/bkrvqDpPuU
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 28, 2024
Manu's impressive run also saw her win gold in the 10m Air Pistol at her second ISSF Junior World Cup appearance, where she also won a bronze in the mixed team event.
Manu wrapped 2018 on a historic note by winning a gold medal in 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Youth Olympics Games in Buenos Aires, making her the first Indian shooter to win a gold at the Youth Olympics.
2019: Seals Olympic quota
In 2019 Manu found a new teammate in Saurabh Chaudhary and together they won mixed team golds at all three ISSF World Cups. She has then also bagged a gold in the individual event of the World Cup held in China. Her fourth-place finish at the 2019 ISSF World Cup held in Munich, Germany, saw her secure an Olympic quota for the Tokyo Games.
2021: Heartbreak
Manu won a gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol at the 2021 New Delhi ISSF World Cup. She also won a bronze in the 25m Air Pistol.
However, she failed to replicate the same for India at the Tokyo Olympics, mostly because of a pistol malfunction causing disruption in her game.
Monthsafter the Tokyo heartbreak, she participated at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2021 in Lima, Peru, and became the junior world champion in the women's 10m air pistol.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Olympic Bronze Medalist Manu Bhaker and congratulated her on winning a Bronze medal in Women’s 10 M Air Pistol at #ParisOlympics2024 pic.twitter.com/IHrumNS5yv
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2024
2022 and 2023: Asian Games glory
Manu won silver in the women's 25m pistol at the Cairo World Championships held in 2022. A year later, the pistol shooterwon a gold in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou.
She also won a bronze in women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 ISSF World Cup Series held in Bhopal.
2024: Olympic glory
Bronze medal in 10m air pistol women's final (first Indian female shooter to win a medal at Olympics)
