Manu Bhaker Shines in Her First Olympic Final, Salvaging India’s Day in Shooting
Manu Bhaker Shines in Her First Olympic Final, Salvaging India's Day in Shooting
The 22-year-old Haryana shooter Manu Bhaker shot a commendable 580 to secure third place in the qualifications for the 10m women’s air pistol final at the Olympic Games on Saturday. Hungarian ace Veronika Major led the qualifications with a score of 582. Bhaker’s exceptional performance brought a glimmer of hope to Indian shooting after a disappointing start by her compatriots.
Bhaker’s strong start with a total of 97 points in Series 1 placed her in the fourth spot. Consistency marked her performance as she maintained her position with another 97 in the second series, despite Rhythm Sangwan, the other Indian representative, finishing 15th with a score of 573. Bhaker’s impressive 98 in the third series boosted her to the top two. Despite an 8 in the fifth series, she remained competitive and secured her place in the final, set for Sunday.
Having been reduced to tears after her forgettable debut in Tokyo three years ago, Bhaker now aims to add an Olympic medal to her illustrious resume. Known internationally for her prowess in the sport, Bhaker showed determination to overcome past memories with her fine qualification performance.
Indian Men Fall Short in 10m Air Pistol
In the men’s 10m air pistol event, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema showed glimpses of promise but ultimately did not make the final. Sarabjot finished ninth with a total score of 577, narrowly missing the cut-off, while Arjun ended in 18th place with 574. Germany’s Robin Walter secured the last qualifying spot with a 577, edging out Sarabjot by shooting one more inner 10 (X).
Sarabjot’s perfect 100 in the fourth series briefly elevated him to the top three, but he could not maintain the momentum. Cheema, despite shooting 10 perfect 10s in his last 10 shots, also fell short after a promising start.
Mixed Rifle Event Disappointment
Earlier in the day, the Indian 10m air rifle mixed teams were eliminated in the qualifications. Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta finished sixth with a score of 628.7, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh ended 12th with 626.3. Ramita and Babuta came close, placed fifth with three shots remaining, but missed the medal round cut-off by 1.0 point.
Shooters from China, Korea, and Kazakhstan dominated the qualifications, with China eventually winning the first gold medal of the Games in this event.
