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Manu Bhaker became India’s first medallist at the Paris Olympics, finishing third in Women’s 10m Air Pistol. read more
 "Manu Bhaker wins bronze medal at Paris Olympics, India's first in shooting in 12 years")
Manu Bhaker became India's first medallist at Paris Olympics with a bronze on Sunday. Reuters
Manu Bhaker became the first medallist for India at the Paris Olympics when she clinched a bronze in Women’s 10m Air Pistol. It is India’s first medal in shooting at the Olympics in 12 years. The last Indians to medal at a Summer Games were Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar at London 2012.
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Bhaker was just 0.1 points behind South Korea’s Kim Yeji when she was eliminated in the final. Kim eventually won the silver medal while her compatriot Oh Ye Jin claimed the gold.
The win is a massive moment for Bhaker who considered quitting the sport at one point and had a dreadful pistol malfunction at Tokyo 2020.
Bhaker, a nine-time World Cup medallist, is only the fifth Indian to win a medal in shooting.
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“I feel great. It was a long-due medal for India. I was just a medium to win this medal,” Manu Bhaker told JioCinema. “The entire team is working really hard and India deserves a lot more medals. I was just fighting with all the energy. I am grateful I could win bronze for India. Maybe something better next time.”
“I was just focussed on doing my best. I can’t control my destiny,” she added.
Manu Bhaker talked about the final moments in the medal competition. “In Geeta Lord Krishna told Arjuna to focus on the job, that is what was going on in my mind. Tokyo Olympics was disappointing but the past is past. This medal is for all of us. It’s teamwork always. I was medium to win this medal for India.”
During the qualification round, Bhaker had finished third in the women’s 10m air pistol event with a score of 580 with the highest number of perfect scores (27) to boot.
In the process she became the first Indian female shooter to reach an Olympic final in an individual event in the last two decades. The last time an Indian woman shooter had reached the final was Suma Shirur. She had reached the medal match in 10m air rifle event at Athens 2004.
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English (US) ·