Shooter Manu Bhakar after winning bronze in Paris Olympics (X/ImTanujSingh)
Paris Olympics 2024: India's star shooting sensation from Haryana, Manu Bhaker created history at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. Competing at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Manu became the first Indian female shooter to secure a medal at the Olympics. She clinched bronze in the women's 10m air pistol final. This victory comes three years after a series of disappointments in Tokyo.
Manu Bhaker opened India's medal tally at the Paris Olympics, ending a 12-year drought for a shooting medal at the Games. She joined the elite list of Indian shooters who have won Olympic medals, standing alongside legends like Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Kumar, and Gagan Narang.
Here's what she said after wining the medal:
"I read a lot of Gita, focus on your process not the result, that was going through my mind in the final moment".
— Politics Pe Charcha (@politicscharcha) July 28, 2024
Congratulations Manu Bhakar pic.twitter.com/IXslLfUW1Q
Manu Bhaker stepped onto the shooting range with confidence and determination. Manu kicked off the final with a strong start, scoring 50.4 in her first series of five shots. In the second series, she continued her impressive performance, raising her tally to 100.3. She maintained her position in the top three throughout the competition.
A historic medal!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2024
Well done, @realmanubhaker, for winning India’s FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024! Congrats for the Bronze. This success is even more special as she becomes the 1st woman to win a medal in shooting for India.
An incredible achievement!#Cheer4Bharat
In the qualifications, Manu finished third. She and her coach, Jaspal Rana, remained calm and focused in the lead-up to the event.
Manu's debut at the Tokyo Olympics was challenging. Competing in the 10m air pistol, the 25m pistol, and the mixed team 10m pistol events, she faced numerous obstacles. A malfunction in her pistol during the 10m air pistol qualification event caused a six-minute delay, disrupting her concentration and affecting her performance in subsequent events.
Manu overcame the memories of the Tokyo Olympics, where she failed to qualify for the finals in all three of her events. The disappointment was so profound that she considered quitting shooting last year. However, she rediscovered her passion for the sport and entered the Paris Olympics in top form.
After winning the match she said, "Honestly, I read a lot of Gita. So what was going through my mind is just do what you are meant to do. Just do what you are supposed to do and just leave. Whatever the destiny, you can't control the outcome of it. So in Gita Krishna says to Arjun that, you know, you focus on your karma and not on the outcome of the karma. So only that was running in my head."
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