Manu Bhaker wins India’s First Medal At Paris Olympics
Manu Bhaker kicked off India’s medal tally at the Paris Olympics 2024. Bhaker became the only Indian to reach the final of her event on Saturday. The 22-year-old has bagged bronze medal in women’s 10m air pistol on Sunday.
Shooting has once again took the limelight on Sunday. Bhaker has become the first Indian female shooter to win an Olympic medal and end India’s 12-year drought for a podium finish in shooting at the Games.
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She finished at 221.7 points, while her South Korean counterparts Y.J Oh finished at 243.2 and Y.J Kim secured 241.3. Manu became only the fifth shooter after Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang to win an Olympic medal in shooting.
Having been brought into tears following her disappointing performance in her Olympic debut in Tokyo three years prior, she has now added an Olympic medal to her already impressive list of achievements. This will mark a significant comeback for the young shooter who had considered walking away from the sport sometime back.
Bhaker obtained a Paris 2024 Olympic quota for India after finishing fifth in the women’s 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships. She is the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at an ISSF World Cup and also a Commonwealth Games champion in the women’s 10m air pistol event from Gold Coast 2018, where she won top honors with a CWG record.
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Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification. She has showcased her experience and ability to handle nerves better in Paris, on Saturday in the shooting range.
