Ranking 5 best shooting performances of Manu Bhaker ft. Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medal
Born in Jhajjar, Haryana, a state known for its boxers and wrestlers, Manu Bhaker took to sports like tennis, skating, and boxing in school. She also participated in a form of martial arts called ‘thang ta’, winning medals at the national level.
She then impulsively decided to try her hand at shooting when she was just 14 – just after the 2016 Rio Olympics ended – and loved it. Within a week, Manu asked her father to get her a sports shooting pistol to hone her craft.
Let’s take a look at some of her best shooting performances so far.
#5 National Shooting Championships 2017
Manu Bhaker defeated former World No. 1 and multiple World Cup medallist Heena Sidhu in the 2017 National Games held in Kerala, breaking Sidhu's record of 240.8 points. She shot a record score of 242.3 to erase Sidhu’s mark and win the 10m Air Pistol final. Manu Bhaker also won nine gold medals.
#4 Youth Olympics 2018
At the Youth Olympics 2018, Manu Bhaker shot 236.5 to stand at the top of the points table in the women's 10m air pistol event. The Indian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Youth Olympics is also the World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medalist.
The 16-year-old Manu became the first shooter from India and the first female athlete from India to grab a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games. She also won a silver medal at the Mixed Team 10m Air Pistol event.
#3 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup 2018
In Guadalajara, Mexico, at the 2018 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup, Manu Bhaker defeated two-time champion Alejandra Zavala of Mexico to win the gold medal in the Women's 10-meter air pistol. In the decisive game, Bhaker scored 237.5 versus Zavalaa's 237.1.
Manu Bhaker became the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the World Cup when she took home the medal at the age of 16.
In the mixed 10-meter Air Pistol team event at the World Cup, Bhaker took home her second gold medal. She partnered with Om Prakash Mitharval, a fellow citizen. The two defeated Sandra Reitz and Christian Reitz, who scored 475.2 and 476.1 points, respectively.
#2 Commonwealth Games 2018
Manu qualified for the finals of the women's 10m air pistol qualification round at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a score of 388/400. She won the gold medal in the women's 10m air pistol competition at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games by setting a new Commonwealth Games record with 240.9 points in the final round.
#1 Manu Bhaker wins bronze medal at Paris Olympics 2024
Last but certainly not least, she performed exceedingly well at the grandest of all stages - the Olympics. She could not replicate her usual excellent performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but Paris saw her score 221.7 in the finals to clinch her first-ever Olympic Medal.
Manu Bhaker became the first athlete to win a medal for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She clinched a bronze medal in the 10 meters Air Pistol sport and with the same she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the sport of Shooting.