In an electrifying showdown at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker etched her name in history as the first Indian female shooter to win an Olympic medal. Bhaker clinched the bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event, marking India’s first shooting medal since 2012 and the first medal of any kind for the nation at the Paris Games.
Bhaker, who had climbed to second place with just three competitors left, narrowly missed the silver by a mere 0.1 points in a tense shoot-off with Korea’s Kim Yeji. Reflecting on the intense final, Bhaker shared with JioCinema that she found solace in the Bhagavad Gita. “I kept thinking, ‘Just do what you are meant to do. You can't control the outcome.’ Krishna's words to Arjun—‘Focus on karma, not the outcome’—kept me grounded,” Bhaker revealed.
Bhaker’s journey to this podium finish was far from smooth. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a malfunctioning pistol dashed her hopes, leading to a devastating performance. Despite raising the issue with the jury, Bhaker was forced to replace only the defective part, costing her six critical minutes and her concentration. “Tokyo was a tough pill to swallow. It took a lot to move past that, but I came back stronger. The past is behind me, and what matters is now,” Bhaker asserted.
Sunday proved to be a day of redemption and triumph for India’s shooters. Arjun Babuta advanced to the men’s 10m air rifle final, and earlier, Ramita Jindal made it to the women’s 10m air rifle medal event. Bhaker’s bronze is not just a personal victory but a beacon of hope for Indian shooting at the Paris Olympics.
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