Paris (France): Manu Bhaker made history as the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal by securing a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. In a nail-biting final, Bhaker was just 0.1 points behind Kim Yeji, who eventually took the silver, while gold went to Kim's fellow South Korean, Oh Ye Jin.
This achievement comes three years after Bhaker's Tokyo Olympics campaign was hampered by a pistol malfunction. The 22-year-old's bronze medal is a significant milestone, making her only the fifth Indian shooter to earn an Olympic medal. Bhaker, a nine-time World Cup medalist, showcased her resilience and skill.
On the opening day of the Paris Olympics, Bhaker placed third in the qualification rounds of the women's 10m air pistol event with a score of 580. She impressively recorded the highest number of perfect scores (27) in the qualification, securing her spot in the final.
By reaching the final, Bhaker became the first Indian woman shooter in 20 years to achieve this feat in an individual event. The last Indian woman shooter to reach an Olympic final was Suma Shirur in the 10m air rifle event at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Before Paris 2024, Indian shooters had won four Olympic medals, none of which were secured by women. The most recent medals came from the London 2012 Olympics, where rifle shooter Gagan Narang won bronze in the men's 10m air rifle and pistol shooter Vijay Kumar won silver in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol.
