MANU Bhaker made history on Tuesday (30 July) by becoming the first Indian since independence to win two medals in a single Olympic Games. Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh secured bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Games.
Earlier, Bhaker also earned bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol, ending India’s 13-year wait for a shooting medal at the Olympics. Bhaker joins Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, and PV Sindhu as the fourth Indian to win multiple medals at the Summer Games, but no Indian had achieved this in a single edition until now.
Manu Bhaker, born on 18 February 2002 in Goria village of Jhajjar district in India's Haryana state, has emerged as one of the country’s leading shooters.
Bhaker's journey in sports began early. Before taking up shooting at the age of 14, she excelled in various sports, including Huyen langlon (a martial art), boxing, tennis, and skating, winning medals at the national level.
Bhaker gained international prominence with her debut in 2017. At the 2017 National Shooting Championships, she won nine gold medals, including a record-breaking performance in the 10m air pistol final. Her score of 242.3 surpassed that of Olympian and former world No. 1, Heena Sidhu.
In 2018, she won gold in the 10m air pistol event at the Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first Indian female shooter to do so.
She also secured gold in both individual and mixed team events at the ISSF World Cups. Her remarkable performance continued at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she set a record with 240.9 points in the 10m air pistol final.
At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Bhaker won gold in the 25m pistol team event. She maintained her winning streak by securing gold medals at the 2023 World Championships.
The Paris Olympics marked a significant milestone in Bhaker's career. On Sunday, she ended India's 13-year wait for an Olympic shooting medal by winning bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
Following this, she, along with Sarabjot Singh, won bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, defeating South Korea. This victory earned India its second medal at the Games.
Reflecting on her achievements, Bhaker expressed her pride and gratitude, saying, "I'm feeling really proud and there is a lot of gratitude, thanks for all the blessings."
Bhaker will next compete in the 25m women's pistol qualification on 2 August, with high hopes of advancing to the finals.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
