Paris Olympics 2024: Did India win a medal on July 30?
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh of India won the bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, July 30. This marked India's sixth Olympic medal in shooting and the first-ever Olympic medal won by any Indian shooting team.
Besides, Manu Bhaker became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, after making history as the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting on Sunday.
The contest took place at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux. Bhaker and Sarabjot outplayed the South Korean duo of Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho 16-10 in the bronze medal match.
It has been a long-drawn journey to the bronze medal. Manu Bhaker made a superb start to the qualification series. On the other hand, Sarabjot Singh wasn't as brilliant initially, but he finished well with consistent 10s in the last two series. The combined score of 580-20x placed them third and set up a face-off with the South Korean duo.
In the bronze medal match, Manu Bhaker was the more consistent of the two and set the tone for her team with a 10.2 start. Sarabjot Singh started with an 8.6, but he recovered strongly with rounds of 10.5, 10.4, and 10, which fetched India six straight points.
"I feel really proud and have a lot of gratitude that I was able to achieve this" - Manu Bhaker
Manu Bhaker expressed her emotions after winning the bronze medal match. She told the official broadcasters (via FirstPost):
"I feel really proud and have a lot of gratitude that I was able to achieve this. Thank you so much for all your blessings."
“We can’t control everything; we can just try to do our best. My partner and I said, ‘Let’s try our best, and however it goes, we will accept it and keep fighting till the last shot,” Bhaker added.
Sarabjot Singh, who won the bronze medal on his Olympic debut, said:
"The game was very tough, and there was a lot of pressure, but the support from the Indian crowd was immense. I can’t express how good I am feeling."