Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on becoming India’s first athlete to win three individual Olympic medals in a single Games. On Saturday, she finished fourth in the women’s 25m pistol final at the Chateauroux shooting range, losing in a shoot-off to Hungary’s Veronika Major.
How the Final Unfolded
Manu started the final in sixth place, hitting only two of her first five shots. Early leaders like Camille Jedrzejewski and others each hit four targets, setting a high standard. Manu improved in her second series, hitting four targets and moving up to fourth place. At this point, Jiin Yang from Korea led with eight hits, while Manu had six.
Despite a slight dip in performance during a later series, Manu hit five out of five shots under pressure, which moved her into a tie for third place with Jedrzejewski. The competition was tight, with Manu and Jedrzejewski each having 18 points, trailing Yang, who had 20 points.
In the sixth series, Manu hit four out of five targets, tying with Jedrzejewski for second place with 22 points, still behind Yang. The standings going into the final series were Yang in first with 28 points, Manu and Jedrzejewski tied for second with 27 points, and Major in fourth with 26 points.
Manu’s final series was challenging, as she scored only two out of five, leading to a shoot-off with Major. In the shoot-off, Manu missed two shots while Major missed just one, leaving Manu in fourth place.
Previous Achievements
Before this event, Manu had already made history by winning two bronze medals in the 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh.
Despite her strong performance throughout the competition, Manu fell just short of a medal, but her achievements have firmly placed her in Indian sporting history.
