Paris
Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women's Air Pistol event in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.
She became the first Indian women to win a medal in shooting at Olympics.
Bhaker brought India's first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.
It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned in Tokyo Olympics. She scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach an shooting final in an individual event of Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.
South Korea's Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji settled for silver with 241.3 points.
Manu Bhaker dedicated her medal to her country. She posted her two pictures after the victory and wrote on X:
Winning this medal is a dream come true, not just for me but for everyone who has supported me. I am deeply grateful to the NRAI, SAI, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Coach Jaspal Rana sir, Haryana government and OGQ. I dedicate this victory to my country for their incredible… pic.twitter.com/hnzGjNwUhv
— Manu Bhaker🇮🇳 (@realmanubhaker) July 28, 2024
On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Bhaker for securing a bronze medal in the final of the Women's 10 metre Air Pistol event.
A historic medal!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2024
Well done, @realmanubhaker, for winning India’s FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024! Congrats for the Bronze. This success is even more special as she becomes the 1st woman to win a medal in shooting for India.
An incredible achievement!#Cheer4Bharat
In Delhi, Manu Bhaker's parents expressed joy and prayed that she would come back home happily.
Manu Bhaker's mother, Sumedha Bhaker, said that after the 22-year-old disappointing result at the Paris Olympics, she kept training hard for the Olympics 2024.
"After the Tokyo Olympics, Manu kept training for this Olympics. I made sure that she gets proper food so that she can continue her training. My daughter and other Indian athletes at the Paris Olympics have put in a lot of effort and I pray that they come back home happy. Manu's first home was the shooting range, she only used to come home to sleep here. She used to practice for hours...," Manu Bhaker's mother, Sumedha Bhaker said.
Her father Ram Kishan, hoped that she would win gold in her upcoming two events at the Paris Olympics.
"Two of her events are remaining, we hope she will win gold in them...," Manu Bhaker's father Ram Kishan said.
The 22-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.
Bhaker brought India's first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.
It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned at the Tokyo Olympics. She made history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach a shooting final in an individual event of the Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.
South Korea's Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji, settled for silver with 241.3 points.
On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.