India opened its Paris Olympics medal tally on Sunday as Manu Bhaker became the first markswoman from the country to finish on the podium. The sharpshooter is now in contention for a second medal after her bronze in the 10m air pistol event. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya lauded the athlete on Monday, dubbing her a ‘product of the ecosystem created by Khelo India’.
“Around ₹2 Crores was spent on Manu Bhaker’s training. She was sent to Germany and Switzerland for training. Financial help was provided which was needed for her to hire a coach who she wanted,” the Sports Minister told ANI.
Bhaker has a plethora of international medals in her cabinet — including gold medals from the world championships and the Khelo India Games. She had previously made history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach a shooting final in an individual event of the Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.
Bhaker won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7 on Sunday — ending a 12-year medal drought for shooting at the quadrennial showpiece. It was also a redemption arc for the shooter after her pistol malfunctioned at the Tokyo Olympics.
South Korea’s Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points while her compatriot — Kim Yeji — settled for silver with 241.3 points. Bhaker had finished third during the qualification round of Women’s 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The 22-year-old is currently in contention for a second Olympic medal after joining Sarabjot Singh to make the bronze playoff in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. The duo finished with a total of 580 and will now face Koreans Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho for the bronze-medal match on Tuesday.
(With inputs from agencies)
