Manu Bhaker etched her name in history by becoming the first female shooter from India to win an Olympic medal. Her triumph adds her to the elite list of Indian Olympic medallists, which had previously included only four male shooters.

At the Chateauroux shooting range, Bhaker’s journey in the finals ended dramatically. She was just 0.1 point behind the eventual silver medallist, Kim Yeji of South Korea, in the 6th shoot-off at Stage 2. The gold was claimed by another South Korean shooter, Oh Ye Jin, who set an Olympic record.

Manu Bhaker’s early tryst with shooting

Born in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, Manu Bhaker was an all-round athlete during her school days, engaging in tennis, skating, boxing, and the martial art ‘thang ta’, winning medals at the national level. Her venture into shooting began impulsively at the age of 14, just after the 2016 Rio Olympics, and she quickly developed a passion for the sport.

Rise of a teenage sensation

Bhaker’s breakthrough year was 2018, but her talent had already begun to shine the previous year. At the 2017 National Shooting Championships, she made headlines by defeating Olympian and former world No. 1 Heena Sidhu with a record score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol final. The following year, at just 16, she secured a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Her prowess was further displayed at the 2018 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she won the gold medal in the Women’s 10-metre air pistol event, defeating two-time champion Alejandra Zavala of Mexico. In 2019, she clinched an Olympic quota place with a fourth-place finish at the Munich ISSF World Cup.

Heartbreak at the Tokyo Olympics

Expectations were high for Manu Bhaker at the Tokyo Olympics, her debut games. Unfortunately, a gun malfunction derailed her performance, leaving her without a medal despite being a strong contender in several events.

Rediscovering her passion

After the Tokyo heartbreak, Bhaker was so disheartened that she didn’t touch her pistol for nearly 25 days, contemplating quitting the sport. However, a family vacation to a beachside resort in Cherai, Kerala, reignited her passion. As she stood in her room holding a water-filled kettle, mimicking a practice exercise to test arm stability, she realised her yearning to return to shooting.

Making history in Paris 2024

Manu Bhaker’s bronze at the Paris Olympics was historic. She became the first Indian female shooter to reach the Olympic final of an individual event in 20 years, following Suma Shirur’s appearance in the 10m Air Rifle event at Athens 2004. Additionally, Bhaker was the first Indian woman to qualify for the 10m air pistol final round at any Olympics.

Manu Bhaker’s journey, marked by resilience and determination, continues to inspire aspiring athletes across India and beyond.