Can Manu Bhaker secure more medals for India after bronze triumph at Paris Olympics?

Indian shooter Manu Bhaker made history on Monday after becoming the Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Olympics. The 22-year-old from Haryana secured a bronze in the 10m air pistol final at the ongoing Paris Olympics, becoming only the fifth Indian to earn an Olympic medal in this sport.

This is Manu Bhaker’s second Olympic appearance, following a challenging debut in Tokyo three years ago, where she was considered one of India’s top medal prospects but did not secure a medal.

Two Events to go for Manu

At the Paris Games, Manu is participating in three events, a unique achievement among the 117-member Indian athlete contingent. She has already won bronze in one event. Now, she will compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team finals with Sarabjot Singh on July 30 and in the 25m air pistol qualification precision on August 2 at 12:30 PM IST.

Can Manu win two more medals at the Olympics?

Manu has performed well in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification on Monday. The pair showed promising results for the finals after securing third place in the qualification, indicating that they are in contention for a medal in the final event.

Concerning the 25m air pistol event, the chances are not looking great for Manu. She has been primarily a 10m air pistol player. Although she has participated in the 25m air pistol before, she has not achieved much success. Her last medal in this category was at the ISSF World Cup held in Bhopal in 2023, where she won bronze. However, the ISSF World Cup occurs frequently, and athletes often pull out, but in the Olympic competition, all top athletes compete and this makes it more challenging.

Historic feat within reach

Manu aims to achieve a historic milestone, as India has only had three multi-medallists in individual events. Norman Pritchard was the first, winning silver in the 200m hurdles and 200m in 1900. Sushil Kumar followed with one medal each in 2008 and 2012, and PV Sindhu earned two medals in 2016 and 2021.

If Manu wins medals in both of her upcoming events, she will be the first Indian to win two medals in the same Olympic Games since Independence. She could become the first-ever player, pre- or post-independence, to secure three medals in a single Games.