Manu Bhaker, a nationally renowned name due to her shooting skills, is the first Indian woman to claim an Olympic medal in the 10m pistol event, winning bronze by scoring 221.7 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is also the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup. Manu secured a gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the age of 16. With her sharpshooting skills and impressive target-catching abilities, Manu Bhaker currently leads the Indian shooting team and is considered one of the key players at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
MANU bhaker
Age: 22
DOB: Feb 18, 2002
Sport: Shooting
Birthplace: Goria
MEDAL RECORDS
| Tournament |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympics | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| World Championships | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ISSF World Cup | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Asian Shooting Championships | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Commonwealth Games | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Youth Olympics | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Personal Life
Born on February 18, 2002, in a Jat family in Gorial village, Haryana, Manu Bhaker’s father, Ram Krishna Bhaker, is a chief engineer in the merchant navy. It is noteworthy that Manu’s first sport was not shooting but boxing. She is also trained in Huyen Langlon, a Manipuri martial art. At a very tender age, she excelled in various sports, from tennis to skating, and has won numerous medals in all these competitions.
Career Highlights
Major Achievements:
- Youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup
- Commonwealth Games gold medalist at the age of 16
- Asian Games medalist in 2023 in the 25m pistol event
- Multiple ISSF World Cup medals
- Olympics Bronze medal
Awards and Recognitions
- Arjuna Award (2020)
- Youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup
Major Achievements:
Road to Paris Olympics 2024
Qualifying Events
Having made her Olympic debut in 2020, this will be Manu Bhaker’s second Olympic appearance. In Tokyo 2020, she fell short in the 10m and 25m pistol events and did not win any medals, but 2024 could be different. Manu’s qualification for the Paris Olympics became a possibility after she secured a Paris 2024 Olympic quota for India by finishing fifth in the women’s 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships.
Training and Preparation
With a focus on body posture to avoid injuries, and recognizing that shooting is a mental sport, Bhaker is concentrating on mental stability to perform well during the 90 minutes of training.
“You are not allowed to speak, you are not allowed to interact with anybody, and you are not even allowed to listen to music. It’s difficult to divert your mind in any way. You have to be within your thoughts, and to make the most of this scenario, meditation and yoga help a lot and will certainly be beneficial for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” she said.
Manu Bhaker PICS
Events at Paris Olympics
| Date | Event | Stage | Time |
| July 27, Saturday | 10m Air Pistol | Qualification | 4:00 PM IST |
| July 28, Sunday | 10m Air Pistol | Final | 3:30 PM IST |
| Aug 2, Friday | Women’s 25m Pistol | Qualification | 3:30 PM IST |
Quotes and Interviews
Future Prospects
Nothing is on my mind but the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She is currently India’s most trusted shooter in both individual and doubles categories. She also mentioned that she had bitter memories of Tokyo 2020 and will look to change things this time around
Conclusion
If there is one medal hope in shooting at the Paris Olympics 2024, Manu Bhaker has to play a huge part. As mentioned earlier, having performed so well at different shooting tournaments, she is the only hope for India at the Olympics.
