Indian ace shooter Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on her third Olympic medal, finishing fourth in the 25m sports pistol event with 28 points at the Chateauroux shooting range. The 22-year-old, who had already made history as the first Indian athlete to win two bronze medals in a single edition of the Olympics, secured her spot in the final by placing second in the qualification rounds on Friday.
Bhaker displayed exceptional skill in both the ‘precision’ and ‘rapid’ rounds during the qualification phase, achieving an aggregate score of 590. This impressive performance placed her just behind Hungary’s Veronika Major, who equaled the Olympic record with a score of 592. In the medal event, Bhaker was eliminated by Major, who went on to secure the bronze medal with 31 points.
Bhaker’s resurgence in form can be attributed to her reunion with former shooter-turned-coach Jaspal Rana. She had already earned two bronze medals at these Games: one in the 10m women’s air pistol and another in the 10m air pistol mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh.
In the sports pistol qualification rounds, Bhaker scored 294 in the challenging ‘precision’ round with impressive scores of 97, 98, and 99. Her best performance came in the ‘rapid’ round, where she shot a perfect 100, followed by two 98s, culminating in an aggregate score of 296.
India’s rising star, Esha Singh, did not fare as well, finishing 18th among 40 shooters. Singh scored 291 in ‘precision’ and 290 in ‘rapid’ for a total of 581, missing the eight-shooter final by a significant margin.
Earlier, despite securing two bronze medals, Bhaker had urged her supporters not to be “disappointed” if she didn’t add to her tally. “Manu’s story is incredible after the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics. To come here and be able to get over that and compete and win bronze is a phenomenal achievement,” said Rahul Dravid, legendary Indian cricketer and former national coach, during a panel discussion at India House in Paris.
Bhaker’s performance at Chateauroux is particularly notable given the setback she faced at the Tokyo Games in 2021, where her campaign was cut short by a malfunctioning pistol. This only makes her current achievements all the more significant. Reflecting on her emotional journey, Bhaker said that the heartbreak from Tokyo has made her value her medals even more.
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