28-07-2024...First Medal for India in Paris Olympics today in 10m air pistol event... 🤩

Manu Bhaker is the first Indian woman to claim a shooting medal at the Summer Games. 

Manu Bhaker is the first Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal since 2012 and also the first female athlete from country to win a medal in shooting.

Story :: ✍

**Manu Bhaker: 

India's Shooting Star** Manu Bhaker’s rise in shooting has been nothing short of spectacular. Born in Jhajjar, Haryana, a region famous for its athletes, Manu initially tried various sports like tennis, skating, and boxing. She even competed in the martial art ‘thang ta’ and won national medals.

 At just 14, after the 2016 Rio Olympics, Manu decided to try shooting. She loved it immediately and convinced her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, to buy her a shooting pistol. This pivotal moment set her on a path to Olympic success. In 2017, Manu made waves by defeating Olympian Heena Sidhu at the national shooting championships. She set a new record with a score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol final. 

Later that year, she earned a silver medal at the Asian Junior Championships. Manu’s international debut came at the 2018 ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she broke the junior world record and won gold, making her the youngest Indian to win an ISSF World Cup gold at 16. She also won gold in the mixed team event and continued her success with a new Games record at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. In 2019, Manu partnered with Saurabh Chaudhary, winning gold in mixed team events at three ISSF World Cups and the World Cup final in China. She secured an Olympic quota with a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Munich ISSF World Cup. 

Manu’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign faced setbacks, including a malfunctioning pistol. Despite returning to the range, she didn’t make it to the finals. She also struggled in the mixed 10m pistol and 25m pistol events. Since Tokyo, Manu has remained competitive. She became the junior world champion in the women’s 10m air pistol in Lima and won medals regularly on the junior circuit. In senior events, she claimed silver in the women’s 25m pistol at the 2022 Cairo World Championships and gold at the 2023 Asian Games. Her recent bronze is in the women’s 25m pistol at the 2023 ISSF World Cup series. 

"Manu Bhaker’s journey from a school athlete to an Olympic contender showcases her incredible talent and resilience."