Paris Olympics 2024: Star Indian shooter Manu Bhaker aims to create history today, may become first Indian to...

Star Indian shooter Manu Bhaker is set to compete on Saturday, August 3, in the women's 25m pistol final at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 22-year-old athlete from Haryana has already secured two bronze medals in this year's Games. Her event is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. IST, and she enters the final as a strong favorite, having finished second in the qualification round on Friday.

If Bhaker wins a medal on Saturday, she will make history as the first Indian to win three Olympic medals. So far, only four Indians have won two Olympic medals each: Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, and Bhaker herself. Pritchard won two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics, while wrestler Sushil and shuttler Sindhu have one silver and one bronze each.

Bhaker earned her first bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event on July 28 and her second in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on July 30. In the 25m pistol qualification event on Friday, she showcased exceptional skill and consistency, finishing among the top three throughout the ‘precision’ and ‘rapid’ rounds. She scored a total of 590, placing second behind Hungary’s Veronika Major, who set an Olympic record with a score of 592.

During the qualification, Bhaker excelled in the ‘precision’ round with scores of 97, 98, and 99, totaling 294. In the ‘rapid’ round, she impressed even more, achieving a perfect score of 100 followed by two 98s, bringing her aggregate to 296.

However, Asian Games medallist Esha Singh struggled, finishing 18th out of 40 shooters with an aggregate of 581 (291 in precision and 290 in rapid), missing the eight-shooter final by a significant margin.

Despite winning two bronze medals, Manu Bhaker urged her fellow countrymen not to be disappointed if she doesn't secure more medals. Nevertheless, her current form suggests she has a strong chance of winning gold or silver. This remarkable performance comes after a disappointing campaign at the Tokyo Games in 2021, where a pistol malfunction hindered her Olympic aspirations.

Bhaker's resilience and skill have been evident throughout the Paris Olympics, and her upcoming performance in the 25m pistol final could solidify her status as one of India's greatest Olympians.

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