France (Paris): After becoming the first Indian female shooter in 20 years to qualify for the final, Manu Bhaker won first medal for India in the Paris Olympics by securing a bronze in the 10m Air Pistol Women's Individual event with a solid show. Also, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the shooting event, ending India's 12-year drought for a podium finish in shooting at the Summer Games. The last time an Indian woman shooter had reached the final was in 2004, when Suma Shirur entered into the final of the 10m Air Rifle event.
🇮🇳🔥 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀! A historic achievement for Manu Bhaker as she becomes the first-ever Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting!
— India at Paris 2024 Olympics (@sportwalkmedia) July 28, 2024
🧐 Here's a look at India's shooting medallists in the Olympics over the years.
👉 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 @sportwalkmedia… pic.twitter.com/ODu5rBDUjp
Manu started strong in the event amassing a total of 50.4 in the first five shots. She lost her second position to the Korean shooter Kim Yeji who took her tally to 101.5 and surpassed the Indian shooter by the end of the second series. It was then a close tussle between Manu and the Korean opponent for the second spot.
Yeji took a lead over Manu at the end by a close margin of 0.1 with two more shots to go and the Indian shooter has to sign off from the event with a bronze.
Manu's campaign was derailed in the Tokyo Games three years back as she suffered a pistol malfunction. However, the shooter carved a solid comeback winning a bronze. The nine-time World Cup medalist is only the fifth Indian to win a medal in shooting.
