Manu Bhaker became the talk of the nation after her success at the Paris 2024. She bagged a bronze medal each in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team events to become the first Indian to clinch double medals at the Olympics.

With one event — Women’s 25m Pistol — still due she has already grabbed the eyeballs of plenty of sponsors with her endorsement rates rising phenomenally. It is, however, no surprise as ace India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s endorsements have risen rapidly since he became the first Indian to clinch a gold medal in track & field events at the Tokyo 2020.

The multiple World Cup gold medallist had an endorsement fee of INR 20-25 lakh ahead of her brilliant showing in the Paris 2024. That price has risen six to seven times with one deal ranging at around INR 1.5 crore already closed, as per a report in the Times of India.

“We have got about 40-odd inquiries in just the last 2-3 days. We are focusing right now on the long-term association deals, and we have closed a couple of endorsements,” said Neerav Tomar, CEO and MD of IOS Sports & Entertainment, the company that manages Manu, to Times of India.

“Her brand value, of course, has jumped five to six folds. So anything we were doing before was in the vicinity of Rs 20-25 lakhs, now it has gone to the region of about Rs 1.5 crore for one deal of endorsements. This is a one-year kind of engagement for a brand category with exclusivity.”

However, long-term deals, remain the point of focus for Bhaker’s team with a few short-term endorsements still in line.