Bhaker’s historic bronze: First Indian woman shooter on Olympic podium
Paris: Manu Bhaker stood in the shooting lane, squeezing the trigger as if her life depended on it. The air pistol final on Sunday at the Paris 2024 Olympics was high-stress, high-pressure. Over a billion people were praying for her. And she delivered — a historic bronze medal for India. No Indian markswoman had ever won an Olympic medal in the Summer Games before, and history will always salute her for it.
Rifle shooters Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta boosted the team’s morale by qualifying for the finals in their respective 10m air rifle events. Jindal secured a spot in the women’s final, while Babuta made it to the men’s final, keeping India’s hopes alive for additional medals in the competition.
Bhaker secured a bronze medal with a commendable score of 221.7 in a closely contested match. The competition saw South Korean shooters dominating the top positions, with Kim Yeji clinching the silver medal, scoring 241.3 points. Jin Ye Oh, another Korean competitor, set a new Games record with an impressive 243.2 points, earning her the gold medal.
By the time the final was sealed with a kiss, congratulatory messages started pouring in, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the common man. Manu was brave, fierce, and very different from her image on Saturday when she was a bit shaky in the qualifying phase. The young girl from Jhajjar, Haryana, has grown into an Olympic medallist through an intense and passionate journey.
When she failed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she had a weapon malfunction. Plus, she criticised Jaspal Rana, even though he was not her coach. On Sunday, she hugged the same Jaspal, her God, her Guru, for guiding her to this medal. “I believe in Karma and I read the Bhagavad Gita. So, I know what it is to do your duty and not think of the results,” said Manu Bhaker later. Such maturity from a young shooter was honest and genuine.
Manu had no time to celebrate; she had to go for a dope test and then get back to training. She has two more matches to go, two more chances for a medal in the same Olympics. “On Saturday, I was both nervous and upset, not today,” said Manu. She had prepared well, trained like a young girl on a mission.
Her routine was gruelling, indeed. The way Jaspal had planned her journey was fantastic. He worked on making her perfect in “slow fire,” which is air pistol. When she shoots in the team event, it will be different. Then again, she will have a break and compete in the 25m sports pistol event on August 1 and 2 at the same ranges in Chateauroux, which is 275 km away from Paris.
Back to the air pistol match, there were different nations represented by fierce competitors in the fray. Manu did not care who she was up against. One point more, and she could have even won silver. But then, she will get her chances soon.
A bit about Manu and Jaspal: They had split and then reunited in 2023. Rebuilding was brick by brick, layer by layer, and reaching this far has been methodical. “This medal is for India, we worked for it, and I thank all, including IOA President PT Usha Madam and everyone else who helped me in this journey,” said Jaspal Rana. He wept tears of joy.
Having trained her before, Jaspal knew what needed to be done in the last 13 months. The way he understands Manu is brilliant, and the form she has shown deserves praise. For India to win an Olympic medal in shooting after 12 years is big, historic indeed.
Manu is aware people expect more medals from her. But not many know she has prepared herself in a dedicated way. “I had almost given up shooting last year. It is Jaspal Sir who brought the smile back to me, and I started enjoying the sport again,” she told this writer.
Even before leaving India, she had said repeatedly: “I don’t fear pressure or failure. I will do my best but cannot predict.” How true these words are.
