Manu Bhaker made history for India at the Paris Olympics by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 10m pistol event with a score of 221.7 in the final. This achievement marks her as the first Indian woman shooter to earn an Olympic medal.
This bronze medal has brought an end to India's 12-year wait in shooting, the last time it happened being through Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar at the 2012 London Olympics.
South Korea's Oh Ye Jin took gold in the event, setting a new Olympic record with a score of 243.2 points. Another South Korean shooter, Ki Yejin, won the silver with 241.3 points.
At 22, Manu Bhaker joins the ranks of RVS Rathore (2004), Abhinav Bindra (2008), Gagan Narang (2012), and Vijay Kumar (2012) as the fifth Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal. This brings India's total Olympic shooting medals to five: one gold, two silver, and two bronze.
Earlier that day, Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification round, becoming the first Indian woman in two decades to reach an Olympic shooting final in an individual event, a feat last achieved by Suma Shirur in 2004.
Additionally, Manu made history by being the first Indian woman to qualify for the 10m air pistol women’s final at the Olympics.
Her journey at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics ended in disappointment due to a pistol malfunction during qualifications, which left her in tears.
Manu secured her spot for the Paris Olympics by finishing fifth in the women’s 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships.
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