NEW DELHI: Indian pistol shooter Manu Bhaker on Friday secured a spot in the final of the 25m sports pistol event in Chateauroux, finishing second in qualification.
Bhaker is aiming for her third Olympic medal at the Paris Games.
The 22-year-old, who has already bagged two bronze medals in the 10m events, showcased remarkable skill by shooting 294 in the precision round and an impressive 296 in the rapid round, totaling 590 points.
Bhaker is already the first Indian athlete to win two bronze medals in a single edition of the Olympics.
On Friday, Bhaker remained among the top three throughout both the ‘precision’ and ‘rapid’ qualification rounds, achieving an aggregate score of 590, narrowly behind Hungary’s Veronika Major, who equaled the Olympic record with a score of 592.

In the qualification, Bhaker was formidable, scoring 294 in the challenging ‘precision’ round with scores of 97, 98, and 99. She excelled even further in the ‘rapid round,’ hitting a perfect 100, followed by two 98s, leading to an aggregate of 296.
India’s 18-year-old rising star, Esha Singh, however, did not qualify for the final. Singh aggregated 581 (291 in precision and 290 in rapid), placing 18th out of 40 shooters and missing the eight-shooter final.
Bhaker’s remarkable journey comes after a failed campaign at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where a pistol malfunction hampered her chances. Reflecting on this, Bhaker expressed that the previous heartbreak has made her current achievements even more valuable.
Bhaker, who is the second youngest Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal following shuttler PV Sindhu, has openly shared her admiration for javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Sindhu.
India has so far captured three medals in shooting, with Bhaker securing two and Swapnil Kusale earning bronze in the 50m rifle three-positions on Thursday.
Legendary India cricketer Rahul Dravid had also termed Manu performance “incredible” following her second Olympic bronze medal.
“Manu’s story is incredible after the disappointment of Tokyo Olympics, to come here and be able to get over that and compete and bronze is a phenomenal achievement,” Dravid, the former India coach, had said during a panel discussion at India House in Paris.