Paris Olympics 2024: Manu Bhaker Makes History as India's First Woman Shooter to Win Olympic Medal
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Manu Bhaker has etched her name in history by becoming the
first Indian woman shooter to secure an Olympic medal, clinching a bronze at
the Paris Olympics 2024. This achievement is particularly remarkable following
her challenging experience at the Tokyo Olympics, where a pistol malfunction
thwarted her efforts.
Manu Bhaker demonstrated remarkable skill and poise, scoring
a total of 221.7 points in the women's 10m Air Pistol event, outshining her
Korean rivals, Kim Yeji and Oh Yeh Jin.
In the qualification stages, Manu Bhaker's precision was
evident as she hit the 'bullseye' 27 times, the highest among all competitors.
Her ability to focus on the smallest of targets proved crucial.
A day after the qualifications, many were puzzled by the
absence of her coach, Jaspal Rana, in the visible areas. However, Manu Bhaker
knew exactly where he was, blending into the crowd. “I had figured where he was
sitting in the crowd,” Manu Bhaker said with a smile. His presence, even from
afar, gave her the courage she needed.
Manu Bhaker wins India's first medal at Paris Olympics 2024
The final competition began with eight shooters, each
getting 20 shots. With each subsequent set of two shots, one shooter was
eliminated. The first to exit was Veronika Major, the leader from the
qualifiers. As the competition progressed, shooters were gradually eliminated
until only three remained: Ye-jin, Ye-ji, and Manu Bhaker. Ye-jin maintained a
strong lead, while Ye-ji narrowly edged out Manu Bhaker with a 10.5 to Manu
Bhaker’s 10.3, securing the silver and leaving the gold for her teammate
Ye-jin.
Reflecting on her journey, Manu Bhaker's performance in
Tokyo 2021 was disheartening as she failed to reach the finals in both the 10m
Air Pistol and 25m Pistol events, soon after parting ways with Rana. This
setback led her to seek solace in spirituality, turning to the verses of the
'Gita' for calmness during training and competitions.
In June 2023, over a year before the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker and Rana publicly reconciled, with Rana committing to coach Manu Bhaker exclusively rather than the entire team. This renewed partnership played a pivotal role in her path to redemption and ultimate success in Paris.
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