Indian shooting sensation Manu Bhaker has grabbed the headlines as she clinched the bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday, July 28.
Bhaker qualified for the final after finishing third with 580 points in the qualification round of the event. In the final, the 22-year-old was visibly composed under pressure and consistently put herself in the top three to assure her a maiden Olympic medal of her career.
Manu Bhaker's Olympic medal was assured when Vietnam shooter Trinh Thu Vinh stayed away in the final rounds with fourth place finish. The Haryana-born shooter made it to the podium with third place finish with 221.7 points in the final.
Along with her maiden Olympic medal, Manu Bhaker scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal in the history of Summer Games.
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Morever, Manu finally put an end to India's 12-year Olympic medal drought in shooting. The last time India won a shooting medal at the Summer Games was in 2012, when Gagan Narang, the current Chef de Mission, clinched the bronze medal in the men's 10m air rifle at the London Olympics.
Tokyo Olympics setback turns into triumph in Paris
With the maiden Olympic medal of her career, Manu Bhaker seemed to have removed the stains of the significant setback she experienced at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
In the previous edition of the Summer Games in Tokyo, Bhaker was one of India's strong medal hopefuls. However, the youngster suffered a setback during the qualification round of the women's 10m air pistol event.
During the rounds, Bhaker's pistol malfunctioned while she was on course to qualify for the final. Due to a technical snag, she lost six precious minutes, putting her under immense pressure during the qualification round. Consequently, Bhaker could only muster 575 points from 60 shots and failed to qualify for the final.
Bhaker also participated in the women's 25m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol events but did not win medals in either event.
After a setback in the Tokyo Olympics, Manu Bhaker has made an incredible comeback by winning her maiden Olympic medal at the ongoing Paris Summer Games, redeeming herself on the grandest stage.
'Let past remains in the past': Manu Bhaker on Tokyo disappoinment
Manu Bhaker doesn't want think about her disappointment at the Tokyo Olympics as she wanted to leave the past behind. She is happy to win an Olympic medal for India.
"I put in a lot of effort; I was fighting with all the energy I had, even at the end. This is a bronze but I'm happy I could win a bronze for the country. I read a lot of Gita. As Lord Krishna says, focus on karma, not on the outcome of the karma." Bhaker after winning bronze medal.
"That's what I did. I thought, do your thing and let it all be. After Tokyo I was very disappointed however, I came back stronger. Let the past remain in the past." she added.
After clinching her maiden Olympic, Manu Bhaker will look to give her best in other two events - 10m air pistol mixed team and women's 25m air pistol. Bhaker will have an eye on creating another history as none of the Indian shooters won more an one medal at the Olympics.
