Manu Bhaker opened India's account at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a bronze medal in the women's individual 10m air pistol event on Sunday, July 28. She became the first-ever Indian woman and fifth overall to clinch an Olympic medal in shooting.
The 22-year-old Indian shooter registered a score of 221.7 to finish third in the finals. Republic of Korea's Oh Ye Jin won the gold with a sensational finish of 243.2 and her compatriot Kim Yeji finished second with a 241.3 score in Paris.
India last won a medal in shooting in the 2012 London Olympics when Gagan Narang won bronze in men's 10m air rifle and Vijay Kumar won silver in the Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol. Bhaker made her debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but could not reach the finals. She talked about her disappointment in the Tokyo Games and coming back to win an Olympic medal for her country in Paris.
"I put in a lot of effort; I was fighting with all the energy I had, even at the end," Manu Bhaker said after winning the bronze. "This is a bronze but I'm happy I could win a bronze for the country. I read a lot of Gita. As Lord Krishna says, Focus on karma, not on the outcome of the karma."
"That's what I did... I thought, 'Do your thing and let it all be. After Tokyo I was very disappointed however, I came back stronger. Let the past remain in the past."
Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification on Saturday to enter the finals. The South Korean pair entered the finals with a record nine golds and were always favourites to finish in the top two.
However, Bhaker shockingly jumped to the second position after recording a 10.3 score in her final shot. But Kim Yeji kept her nerves by scoring 10.5 in her final attempt and regained the second spot to win a silver.
