Manu Bhaker wins bronze in 10m air pistol final, India open account in Paris Olympics

Manu Bhaker wins bronze medal in 10m air pistol women's event at Paris Olympics (X)

Manu Bhaker gave India its first medal at the Paris Olympics by securing a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol finals. She scored a total of 221.7 points and came tantalisingly close to silver at one stage of the finals. The silver was eventually won by South Korea's Yeji Kim, meanwhile, Jin Ye Ho, also a South Korean, won the gold medal. Manu's incredible feat also saw her become the first female shooter from the country to secure a medal at the Olympics. (Follow | Paris Olympics 2024 Day 2 Live Updates) 

Manu started the event with a strong show in the first two five shot series in Stage 1, in which she secured a total of 100.3 points. She carried forward the intensity as the event proceeded to Stage 2, where she gave tough competition to Yeji Kim. The 22-year-old from Jhajjar, Haryana kept moving second and third during the course of the event and was in fact coming second until the second last shot. However, Yeji came ahead by shooting 10.5 as compared to Manu's 10.3, which ruled the Indian from the gold medal shoot-off.

Manu was also closely chased by Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh, who at one stage was just 0.4 points away from the Indian. She finished fourth and secured a total 198.6 points before being out of the medal race.

South Korea's Jin Ye Ho and Yeji Kim then fought for the gold and silver medals. The former managed to score 243.2 points, which was also the new Olympic record in 10m air pistol women's event. Her fellow competitor from the same nation accumulated 241.3 points.

Manu was a medal favourite three years ago at Tokyo Olympics but had returned empty handed. In an interview to Jio Cinema after winning the bronze, Manu credited the learnings from Bhagavad Gita, inspiring her to a third day finish at the finish.

"After Tokyo I was very disappointed and it took me a very long time to overcome that. Frankly speaking, I really can't explain how good I am feeling today," Bhaker, whose pistol malfunctioned during the qualification of the same event three years ago, said with a wide smile on her face.

When asked about her thoughts during the final round of the event, Manu said: "In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says to Arjuna that 'you focus on your karma and not on the outcome of the karma'. Only that was running in my head."

Heartiest congratulations to Manu Bhaker for clinching the bronze medal in the air pistol event at Paris 2024! Your relentless dedication, hard work, and passion have truly paid off. It's incredible to witness your skill and determination, bringing pride to India with each…

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— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) July 28, 2024

Manu's feat was celebrated by India's legendary shooter and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra. Congratulating the shooter on 'X', he wrote: "Heartiest congratulations to Manu Bhaker for clinching the bronze medal in the air pistol event at Paris 2024! Your relentless dedication, hard work, and passion have truly paid off. It's incredible to witness your skill and determination, bringing pride to India with each shot. This achievement is a testament to your perseverance and determination. Keep shining, Manu."

She will also compete in the 25m sports pistol and mixed event later in the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Ramita Jindal qualified for the 10m air rifle women's final after finishing fifth in the qualification. She accumulated a total of 631.5 (104.3, 106.0, 104.9, 105.3, 105.3, 105.7) points. There was one more qualification in 10m air rifle men's event with Arjun Babuta finishing seventh with 630.1 points.