Manu Bhaker Becomes First Indian Woman To Win Olympic Medal In Shooting, Her Journey Is Truly Inspiring!

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On the second day of the Paris Olympics 2024, Sunday, 28 July 2024 Manu Bhaker from Haryana brought home India's first medal by securing bronze in the Women's 10m Air Pistol final. With this win, she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting.

Despite a rocky start for India in shooting events at Paris 2024, Bhaker's performance has been a beacon of hope. The Indian teams in the 10m air rifle mixed team event-comprising Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh, and Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal-failed to qualify for the medal rounds. Similarly, Arabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema did not make it to the final round of the men's 10m air pistol competition.

Let us know about Manu Bhaker's Early Life, Education, Career And Achievements.

Bhaker's journey to this historic achievement has been challenging. She made her Olympic debut at Tokyo in 2020, where a malfunctioning pistol during the qualification round prevented her from winning a medal. This time around, she overcame past misfortunes to secure a historic bronze medal.

At just 22 years old, Bhaker is competing in multiple events at Paris 2024. Her versatility and skill have made her a standout athlete among the 21-member Indian shooting team.

Early Life And Career

Manu Bhaker was born on 18 February 2002 in a Jat family in Goria Village of Jhajjar district in Haryana. Her father Ram Kishan Bhaker, works as a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy.

She was involved in various sports during her school days, including tennis, skating, boxing, and also Huyen langlon, a Manipuri martial art. She also practiced 'Than Ta,' a martial art, earning medals at the national level. However, it was an eye injury during boxing that marked her end in her boxing career but led her to excel as a shooter.

Her journey into competitive shooting began with her father's investment of ₹1,50,000. She first tasted international success by winning silver at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships.

At the National Games in Kerala that same year, she bagged nine gold medals and broke Heena Sidhu's record with a score of 242.3 points.
In the 2018 ISSF World Cup held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Bhaker won gold in the Women's 10-meter air pistol event by scoring 237.5 points against Mexico's Alejandra Zavala. This victory made her the youngest Indian to win a World Cup gold medal.

Challenges And Achievements

At the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, Bhaker scored 388/400 points in the women's 10m air pistol qualifying round and set a new Commonwealth Games record with a final score of 240.9 points to win gold.

Later that year at the Youth Olympics, she shot 236.5 points to top the women's 10m air pistol event and became India's first female shooter to win gold at this event.

In February 2019, Bhaker secured another gold medal in the mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup held in Delhi. Partnering with Om Prakash Mitharval, they scored an impressive 476.1 points.

Despite facing challenges like her pistol jamming during the finals of the Munich ISSF World Cup in May 2019, Bhaker qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by finishing fourth in the 10m pistol event. Throughout all four Pistol & Rifle ISSF World Cups that year, she consistently won gold medals in mixed events with Saurabh Chaudhry.

In addition to her individual achievements, Bhaker contributed to India's team success by winning gold alongside Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan in the women's 25m pistol team event at the 2022 Asian Games.

Bhaker secured India's quota for Paris 2024 by finishing fifth in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships.
She is also the youngest Indian to win a gold medal in the ISSF World Cup and became Commonwealth Games champion in women's 10m air pistol at Gold Coast 2018, setting a CWG record with her top medal win.

This remarkable achievement by Manu Bhaker in Paris Olympics 2024 not only adds another feather to her cap but also brings pride to India on an international stage.