Manu Bhaker made history in Indian sports as the first female athlete to win two medals in a single Olympics edition, winning bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Tuesday, July 30. Manu had previously won bronze in the women's 10 m air pistol event, ending India's 12-year shooting drought in the Olympics.
Manu and her shooting partner, Sarbajot Singh, will upset Korea's Wonho Lee and Jin Ye Oh in a dramatic duel to earn India its second gold at the 2024 Olympics. On Tuesday, the tandem had a strong performance in the shooting range, winning 16-10.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Age | 22 years |
| Height | 1.56 m |
| State | Haryana |
| Total Olympic Medals | 2 |
| First Olympic Games | Tokyo Olympics |
Manu Bhaker, born on February 18, 2002, in Goria village, Jhajjar district, Haryana, is the daughter of Ram Kishan Bhaker, a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy. Before turning 14, Manu excelled in various sports, including Huyen Langlon (a traditional Manipuri martial art), boxing, tennis, and skating, securing medals in these disciplines at national competitions.
Manu Bhaker has succeeded in both athletics and academics. She received an Honours degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, in 2021. She is now pursuing a degree in public administration at Punjab University while continuing her sports career.
Image Source: Twitter
With an investment of ₹1,50,000 by her father, Manu Bhaker decided to take up competitive shooting. Her first international success came when she won a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships. At the National Games in Kerala, Bhaker won nine gold medals, defeating multiple World Cup medalist Heena Sidhu and breaking Sidhu's record with 242.3 points in the final.
In the 2018 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Bhaker won the gold medal in the Women's 10-meter air pistol, becoming the youngest Indian to win a World Cup gold at 16. She secured another gold in the 10-meter Air Pistol mixed team event with Om Prakash Mitharval. At the Commonwealth Games, Bhaker set a new record with 240.9 points in the women's 10m air pistol event, earning her a gold medal. Despite setting a game record in the 25m Air Pistol event at the Asian Games, she finished 6th in the final.
At the Youth Olympics 2018, Manu Bhaker won the gold in the women's 10m air pistol event with a score of 236.5, becoming the first Indian shooter and female athlete to win a Youth Olympic gold. She also had the honour of being the Indian flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
In February 2019, Bhaker secured a gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Delhi. In May, she qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 10m pistol event with a fourth-place finish at the Munich ISSF World Cup. Despite her pistol jamming in the finals of the 25m pistol event, Bhaker's resilience shone through. Throughout 2019, Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhry dominated the 10m air pistol mixed events at all four Pistol & Rifle ISSF World Cups, solidifying their status as strong contenders for the Tokyo Olympics.
Bhaker, alongside Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan, won the team gold for India in the women's 25m pistol event at the Asian Games.
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Manu Bhaker won a bronze medal, becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal.
| Tournament | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympics | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| World Championships | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ISSF World Cup | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Asian Shooting Championships | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Commonwealth Games | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Youth Olympics | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Image Source: Twitter
Bhaker is the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic Games. Manu Bhaker is the most accomplished Indian female shooter in history, having won gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships.Manu Bhaker, India's newest emerging star, rose through the ranks considerably more quickly as a child.
Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Can Neeraj Chopra win gold again for India?
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