Manu Bhaker added another historic feat to her Olympic cap on Tuesday after she bagged her second bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Games in shooting.
The 22-year-old teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to clinch the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze after defeating Korea's Lee Wonoho and Oh Yeh Jin 16-10.
Bhaker has now become the first Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games. This was also India's second medal in Paris after Bhaker's bronze in the women's 10m air pistol event.
Her father was ecstatic after her daughter's second medal triumph and credited his wife for Bhaker's success in the sport.
"I am very happy. This is big news for the whole country. I thank the countrymen for giving their love and blessings to Manu and also helping her in tough times.
"I wasn't involved much in Manu's career because of my job in the Navy, all credit for her success goes to my wife," said Ramkrishna Bhaker
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also proud of Bhaker and Sarabjot's achievement and took to social media to congratulate the Indian duo.
"Our shooters continue to make us proud! Congratulations to @realmanubhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning the Bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the #Olympics. Both of them have shown great skills and teamwork. India is incredibly delighted.
"For Manu, this is her second consecutive Olympic medal, showcasing her consistent excellence and dedication," PM Modi tweeted. He had also spoken to Bhaker after she bagged her first Games medal last week.
Long before Manu Bhaker's recent triumph, British-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard made waves by snagging two silver medals in the 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics. But that was way back in the pre-independence days.
Manu Bhaker's bronze medal win on Tuesday is a huge deal for women's sports in India. It's also a sweet comeback for her teammate Sarabjot Singh. He just missed out on the men's 10m air pistol final, finishing ninth with a score of 577 on Saturday.