On the eighth day of the Paris Olympics 2024, held on August 3, Indian athletes were once again in action. All eyes were on star shooter Manu Bhaker, competing in the Women's 25-meter pistol final. Expectations were high for Manu to secure a medal, but she finished in fourth place, missing out on a historic hat-trick of medals in this Olympic event.
Hungarian Shooter Triumphs in Shoot-off
Manu Bhaker found herself in a strong position to win a medal during the final. After the completion of seven series, Manu held the second spot. At that point, only four shooters remained in the race. The eighth series followed, and due to Manu hitting just 2 out of 5 shots, her result led to a tie with Hungary's Veronika Major at 28 points each.
When elimination at the final stage of an Olympic shooting event results in a tie between two shooters, a shoot-off is conducted. In this situation, one shooter must finish in fourth place via the shoot-off. During the shoot-off, Hungary's shooter hit 3 out of 5 shots accurately, while Manu could only hit 2 out of her 5 shots.
Manu Bhaker's Performance in the Final
Series 1- 2/5 shots Series 2- 4/5 Series 3- 4/5 Series 4- 3/5 Series 5- 5/5 Series 6- 4/5 Series 7- 4/5 Series 8- 2/5 Shoot-off- 2/5
Source: aajtak
South Korea's Jin Yang won the gold medal in this event, while France's Camille Jedrejewski secured the silver. With both Jin and Camille scoring 37-37 points, a shoot-off was necessary. Hungary's Veronika Major clinched the bronze medal. A total of 8 shooters participated in the final of the Women's 25-meter pistol event.
If Manu Bhaker had won a medal in this event, she would have become one of India's greatest athletes. No Indian athlete has ever won three individual Olympic medals. Manu had previously won a bronze in the individual 10-meter air pistol event and another bronze in the mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh. She became the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic event. Notably, India's three medals at this Olympic event were all in shooting.
Complete List of India's Olympic Medalists, Discover Who and When
*** Note:
Norman Pritchard competed for India under the British flag as a British-born athlete.
India's Olympic Medalists in Shooting
1. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Silver Medal: Athens (2004) 2. Abhinav Bindra, Gold Medal: Beijing Olympics (2008) 3. Gagan Narang, Bronze Medal: London Olympics (2012) 4. Vijay Kumar, Silver Medal: London Olympics (2012) 5. Manu Bhaker, Bronze Medal: Paris Olympics (2024) 6. Manu Bhaker- Sarabjot Singh, Bronze Medal: Paris Olympics (2024) 7. Swapnil Kusale, Bronze Medal: Paris Olympics (2024)
