Manu Bhaker aged just 22, opened India’s account at the 2024 Paris Olympics when she claimed bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event. This was a phenomenal achievement by Manu as she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting.
Journey of Manu Bhaker
Manu, a young star earmarked for success very early in her career, began shooting at 14 after she was inspired by the 2016 Rio Olympics. She dabbled into different sports, but then shooting became her calling and asked her father to get her sport shooting pistol – this association started right then.
Manu Bhaker, an Olympic medalist, first caught national attention in 2017 at the national shooting championships when she beat Olympian and former world No. 1 Heena Sidhu. In this process, she also created a record of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol category. She was just getting started as she backed it up with a silver at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships. Manu also made a smashing debut at the 2018 ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara – and broke the junior world record in the qualification round.
Manu Bhaker was taking part in different sports during her school and she also took part in tennis, skating, and boxing. She also excelled in the martial art form ‘thang ta,’ and even won medals at the national level.
Know More About Manu Bhaker, Age of Manu Bhaker
Aged just 16, Manu became the youngest Indian to clinch gold medal at an ISSF World Cup and her growth continued to boom. She won multiple gold medals in both individual and mixed team events. She scripted history at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia – this time setting a new Games record to clinch the women’s 10m Air Pistol gold.
Manu made it to the Tokyo Olympics with a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Munich ISSF World Cup and this gave India gold and silver medals at the 2021 New Delhi ISSF World Cup. However, all the expectations fell flat as an unfortunate pistol malfunction during the Tokyo Olympics quashed her podium chances despite her strong shooting in the qualification round.
Manu was not deterred, and after few stumbles along the way, her perseverance paid off at the Paris Olympics where she was awesome under pressure and she picked up a bronze.
Manu Bhaker Major Achievements
| Competition | Event | Medal |
| Asian Games, Hangzhou 2022 | 25m Pistol Team | Gold |
| World Championship, Baku 2023 | 25m Pistol Team | Gold |
| Asian Shooting Championship, Changwon 2023 | 25m Pistol | 5th (Secured Paris Games 2024 Quota) |
| World Cup, Bhopal 2023 | 25m Pistol | Bronze |
| World Championship, Cairo 2022 | 25m Pistol | Silver |
| World University Games, Chengdu 2021 | 10m Air Pistol Individual | Gold |
| World University Games, Chengdu 2021 | Women’s Team Event | Gold |
Manu Bhaker Paris Olympics – All Categories, Next Matches
At the Paris 2024 Olympics shooting competition, Manu Bhaker has already won bronze in women’s 10m air pistol.
She will also take part in 10m air pistol mixed team and women’s 25m pistol events. Manu is the only athlete from the 21-member Indian shooting team to take part in multiple individual events.
FAQs about Manu Bhaker
Q) Who is Manu Bhaker?
A) Manu Bhaker is now an Olympic medalist who hails from Haryana and who has made several records at both national and international levels.
Q) What sports did Manu Bhaker take part in before shooting?
A) Before turning her attention towards shooting, Manu Bhaker took part in different sports, including tennis, skating, and even martial art.
Q) What was Manu Bhaker’s inspiration?
A) Manu Bhaker wanted to take up shooting after being inspired by 2016 Rio Olympics.
Q) At what age did Manu Bhaker start her shooting career?
A) At the age of 14, Manu Bhaker picked up the pistol and started her shooting career.
Q) When did Manu Bhaker make a mart in shooting?
A) Manu Bhaker got everyone’s attention when she beat Olympian Heena Sidhu at the national championships.
