By Neha Yadav
Published Jul 29, 2024

Hindustan Times
In Focus

Photo Credits: HT File Photo

Paris Olympics 2024: Who is India's 1st medallist Manu Bhaker? 

Manu Bhaker won the historic bronze medal at the women's shooting 10m air pistol event held on July 28 at Paris Olympics.

Here's everything you need to know about the champion.

Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Games, ending a 12-year wait for an overall Olympic medal in shooting.

The shooter finished third with 580 in the qualification rounds, shot 221.7 in the final to claim the bronze medal.

Manu Bhaker hails from Jhajjar, Haryana. She discovered a passion for shooting as a 14-year-old inspired by the Rio Olympics in 2016. 

Bhaker displayed an affinity for athletics from a young age. She garnered recognition in tennis, skating, boxing, and the martial arts of thang ta.

She convinced her father Ram Kishan Bhaker to purchase a sports pistol, marking the beginning of her remarkable journey.

Bhaker stunned the nation by defeating Olympian Heena Sindhu to clinch the national shooting championship title in 2017 with a record-breaking score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol final.

She won a silver medal at the Asian Junior Championships and displayed exceptional talent at the Asian Games and Youth Olympics in 2018.

She has had varying levels of success across the Commonwealth Games, World Cups, and Asian Shooting Championships with the Summer Olympics too now making the elite list.