India’s shooting star Manu Bhaker made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian to win two medals at the same Olympics. Bhaker, along with her partner Sarabjot Singh, secured a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. Earlier, Bhaker had won another bronze in the women’s individual 10m Air Pistol event.
In the bronze medal play-off match, Manu and Sarabjot triumphed over South Korea’s Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin with a score of 16-10. This victory boosted India’s medal tally to two in the Paris Olympics. Both shooters demonstrated consistent accuracy, frequently hitting regular 10s in their series against the Korean team.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) celebrated the win, tweeting, “India wins bronze in the mixed team 10m air pistol as @realmanubhaker and @Sarabjotsingh30 beat Korea’s Oh Ye Jin & Lee Won Ho 16-10 in the bronze match. Second medal for Manu at the Games. History!”
Previously, on Monday, the duo secured 580-20x points in total during the qualification round, finishing third. The gold medal match will be contested between teams from Turkiye (582-18x) and Serbia (581-24x).
In the mixed team 10m air pistol event, each team member shoots 30 shots within 30 minutes, with each series comprising 10 shots per player. The top four teams advance to the medal rounds, where the top two compete for gold and the third and fourth-placed teams vie for bronze.
Manu and Sarabjot initially scored 193 points in the first series, with Manu contributing 98 points and Sarabjot adding 95. They improved in their second series, securing a total of 195 points, with Manu scoring 98 and Sarabjot 97. In the third series, they scored 192 points, with Manu at 95 and Sarabjot at 97.
By the end of all three series, Manu and Sarabjot had a final score of 580-20x, clinching the bronze medal and making a historic mark at the Paris Olympics.