Paris Olympics 2024: Manu Bhaker wins India's first medal, clinches historic bronze in women's 10m air pistol

Manu Bhaker (Pic: AFP)

Manu Bhaker on Sunday became the first Indian woman and the fifth overall to achieve an Olympic medal in shooting, marking India's entry into the Paris Olympics 2024 by securing a bronze medal in the women's individual 10m air pistol event. The most recent Indian athletes to earn medals at the Olympics were Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar, who achieved this feat at the London 2012 Olympics.

The 22-year-old completed her performance with 22 shots, accumulating a score of 221.7. She narrowly missed surpassing second-place Yeji Kim by just 0.1 points in the penultimate series.

A confident Bhaker launched her campaign with a strong start in the first series, scoring 50.2 from her initial five shots, propelling her into second place behind South Korea's Ye Jin Oh, who posted an impressive 52.2.

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Maintaining her composure, Bhaker nearly replicated her first series performance with a score of 50.1 in Series 2, bringing her total to 100.3. However, both Ye Jin Oh and Kim Yeji surpassed Bhaker, relegating her to third place by the end of the five-shot series.

A fierce contest unfolded among the top three, with Bhaker, Ye Jin Oh, and Kim Yeji continually exchanging positions throughout Stage 2, which featured single-shot rounds.

In a dramatic moment during shot 21, Bhaker momentarily edged ahead of Kim Yeji by 0.1 points, securing a medal position. However, with her 22nd shot, Yeji Kim reclaimed her lead over Bhaker by another 0.1 points, moving into second place.

More updates to follow...