Manu Bhaker created history by winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday 28 July. The 22-year-old shooter from Haryana became the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal at the Games after she finished third in the women’s 10m air pistol final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre. Three years after the heartbreak in Tokyo, one of India’s most celebrated and talented shooters fulfilled her dream and made the country proud. She made a tremendous comeback and won the bronze medal. Two South Korean players from South Korea won the gold and silver medals in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Oh Ye Jin won the gold with a score of 243.2 and Kim Yeji won the silver with a score of 241.3.

Manu Bhaker was also third in the qualification round. With this, she also ended India’s 12-year drought of medals in shooting. Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar won medals in shooting at the 2012 London Olympics. This is India’s fifth medal in shooting. Before Manu, all four athletes were men. She joined the Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, and Vijay Kumar clubs.

Just nine months ago, Manu Bhaker was not even included in the Indian team for a 10m air pistol. Last year, she played in the Hangzhou Asian Games but was not in the team for this event. This is the event that is closest to her heart. Before the Asian Games, Manu Bhaker forgot all the past controversies and joined hands with coach Jaspal Rana, one of the reasons for this was to establish dominance again in the 10m air pistol. After the Asian Games, Manu’s dedication and Jaspal’s support worked. Manu not only made it to the Olympic team for a 10m air pistol but also made it to the finals of this event on Saturday by finishing third with a world-class score of 580 in the qualifying round.

Let’s know about Manu Bhaker

Manu has won more than 50 international and more than 70 national medals. She finished seventh in the 2021 Olympics. Manu won a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2023. She is the only athlete from the 21-member Indian shooting team at the Paris Olympics to participate in multiple individual events. Born in Jhajjar, Haryana, Manu Bhaker participated in many sports including tennis, skating, and boxing during her school days. Manu suffered an eye injury while playing boxing. After this, her journey in boxing ended. However, Manu had a different passion for sports, which led to her becoming an excellent shooter. Now she has made the country proud.

Manu Bhaker in 2018

Manu sometimes entered the field of Kabaddi and sometimes tried her hand at Karate. Before choosing shooting as her primary interest, Manu played skating, martial arts, karate, and Kabaddi. At the age of 16, Manu represented India in the ISSF World Cup in 2018 and won two gold medals. In the same year, Manu participated in the Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympic Games. Manu won gold medals in both the competitions.

Manu Bhaker had a dream of becoming Doctor till 9th Grade

Manu’s father Ram Kishan Bhaker always supported her. Her father gave full support to Manu. He allowed her to excel in the sport she wanted to pursue. Like many other students, Manu also wanted to become a doctor till class 9. She was good at sports from the beginning but her main focus was studies. Manu’s life took a different turn in class 10 when she topped the class and was selected for the national team for shooting. On the advice of her coach Anil Jakhar, Manu gave shooting a chance and in class 11, when she was 16 years old, she made a name for herself by winning gold medals in the ISSF World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and Youth Olympic Games.