Indian shooter Manu Bhaker is all set to secure a hat trick of Olympic medals after winning in a 25m sports pistol event. She has entered finals by securing the second slot at the Chateauroux shooting range on Friday.
The shooting star of India has already become a sensation by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch two bronze medals in a single Olympic session. She holds a strong chance of winning a third medal today at 1:00 PM. Bhaker finished the round with an impressive total score of 590 and has retained the top three positions during the ‘precision’ and ‘rapid’ rounds. She is just behind Hungary’s Veronika Major who has also equalled the Olympic record with 592.
The 22-year-old has honed her skills under the guidance of former shooter turned coach Jaspal Rana. Bhaker has already won a bronze in the 10 m women’s air pistol qualification and another one in the 10m air pistol mixed team event along with Sarabjot Singh. Her scorecard includes 294 in the ‘precision round (97,98, 99) and a perfect 100 in the ‘rapid round’ followed by two 98s, adding up to 296.
By seeing her current form, she is a strong contender for gold or silver medals. Legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid has also praised her journey and has termed it as ‘’incredible’’. The youngest Olympic medal winner considers PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra as her inspiration.
(With PTI inputs)