Manu Bhaker adds two Olympic bronze to her rich CV, a look at India's shooting sensation's past glories year by year

At 22-years-old, Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to earn a medal in the 10m air pistol even.

In what otherwise was a dull outing for Indian shooters on Saturday, the Day 1 of the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker emerged as the lone shining star. She secured a total of 580 points in the 10m air pistol women's qualification and finished third, also becoming the only Indian among shooters to qualify for a medal match on Day 1. Manu was up for the test the following day and she exceeded expectations. The 22-year-old was solid from the word go in the 10m pistol finals, jumping second and third during the course of the event. She eventually missed out on the silver medal by 0.1 point.

Manu secured a total of  221.7 points, which gave her a bronze and India its first medal at the Paris Games.  Bursting on to the scene at 15, Manu has always remained India's biggest prospect in shooting. On Sunday, the 22-year-old became India's first female to win an Olympic medal in shooting.

Fast forward to Tuesday, Manu gave India a double delight, this time by landing another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. Pairing up with Sarabjot Singh, the Indian dished out a commanding show and defeated the mighty Koreans 16-10 in the bronze medal face off. What was more exciting was the fact that Korea were placed third after the qualification, one spot above India. This feat makes Manu the only Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.

A take a look at Manu Bhaker's meteoric rise in shooting over the years:

2017: Announces arrival in some style

Manu first burst onto the scene at 15 back in 2017 when she stunned Olympian Heena Sidhu to win the national shooting championships. Not only she defeated Heena, but she also deleted her national record and marked her 242.3 as the new record in the 10m air pistol final.

In the same year, Manu went on to add a silver medal at the 2017 Asian junior championships.

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

2018: Senior debut and more history

Backed by impressive shows one after the other, Manu made her ISSF World Cup debut at 16 at Guadalajara, Mexico. She then smashed the junior world record in the qualification round and went to beat Olympic gold medallist Anna Korakaki, and three-time World Cup medallist Celine Goberville in the finals, where she won a gold. She achieved the feat by accumulating a total of 237.5 points, also making her the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at an ISSF World Cup.

She didn't stop there and formed a team with Om Prakash Mitherval in the same year. Together they won a gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event at the World Cup.

Manu, who was still 16 then, was eligible to take part in the ISSF Junior World Cup, which she did. She was no match for her opponents  and returned home with gold medals both in individual and mixed team events in the 10m Air Pistol.

The same year Manu took part in her first Commonwealth Games, where she clinched gold and set a new Games record.

Congratulations #ManuBhaker on getting India’s first medal! You’ve made  proud! pic.twitter.com/bkrvqDpPuU

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 28, 2024

Manu's impressive run also saw her win gold in the 10m Air Pistol at her second ISSF Junior World Cup appearance, where she also won a bronze in the mixed team event.

Manu eventually wrapped the year on a historic note and won a gold medal in 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Youth Olympics Games in Buenos Aires, making her the first Indian shooter to win a gold at the Youth Olympics.

2019: Seals Olympic quota

In 2019 Manu found a new teammate in Saurabh Chaudhary and together they won mixed team golds at all three ISSF World Cups. She then had also bagged a gold in the individual event of the World Cup held in China. Her fourth-place finish at the 2019 ISSF World Cup held in Munich, Germany, helped her secure an Olympic quota for the Tokyo Games.

2021: Heartbreak

Manu won a gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol at the 2021 New Delhi ISSF World Cup. She also won a bronze in the 25m Air Pistol. However, she failed to replicate the same for India at the Tokyo Olympics, mostly because of a pistol malfunction causing disruption in her game.

Months after the Tokyo heartbreak, she participated at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2021 in Lima, Peru, and became the junior world champion in the women's 10m air pistol.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Olympic Bronze Medalist Manu Bhaker and congratulated her on winning a Bronze medal in Women’s 10 M Air Pistol at #ParisOlympics2024 pic.twitter.com/IHrumNS5yv

— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2024

2022 and 2023: Asian Games glory

Manu won silver in the women's 25m pistol at the Cairo World Championships held in 2022. A year later, the pistol shooter won a gold in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou.

She also won a bronze in women's 25m pistol event at the 2023 ISSF World Cup Series held in Bhopal.

2024: Olympic glory

On July 28, 2024, Manu became the first female shooter from India to win an Olympic medal. She won bronze in the 10m air pistol women's final, and two days later the 22-year-old has now become the first Indian to bag two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. She achieved the feat by winning another bronze in 10m air pistol mixed team event.