Manu Bhaker
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Manu Bhaker. In Tokyo?
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2018
From: February 9, 2018: The Times of India
Manu Bhaker, 2018
February- Gold at Khelo India School Games
February 9, 2018: The Times of India
GOLD IN 10M AIR PISTOL EVENT
For someone who took to shooting just a little over two years back, breaking two long-standing national records in a span of less than a month would easily qualify as prodigious talent. But when you talk to 16-year-old Manu Bhaker about it, she laughs off any such suggestion. “It (breaking records) just happens. I don’t think about them. People tell me later that I have broken a record,” said Manu after claiming gold in 10m air pistol event. She didn’t just win the gold, she broke two junior national records inside an hour.
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A little known fact about her is that before taking up shooting, she was already competing at the national level in different sports. For Manu, 2018 will be a big year. She has qualified for all the senior and junior ISSF World Cups, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics. “I am prepared for that. I have even got extra pages added to my passport,” she said.
February- World Cup gold
From: Tushar Dutt, 16-yr-old Haryana girl youngest Indian to win a World Cup gold in shooting, March 6, 2018: The Times of India
• Manu’s performance in the 24-shot final: 7 shots above 10 but below 10.5; 7 shots above 10.5; 10 shots below 10; 8.1 lowest shot; 10.8 highest — shot twice
• Silver medallist, Mexico’s Alejandra Zavala Vazquez , 34, is a multiple World Cup Finals gold medallist and has been shooting since 1998
• Bronze medallist, France’s Celine Goberville, 32, had won silver at the London Games and has been shooting since 2001
• Another finalist, Heidi Diethelm of Switzerland had won the 25m pistol bronze medal in the Rio Games
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Manu Bhaker, 16, etched her name in history books by clinching the women’s 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday, in the process becoming India’s youngest to win a World Cup gold. Rifle shooter Gagan Narang and pistol shooter Rahi Sarnobat were India’s previous youngest World Cup gold medallists at the age of 23 — in 2006 and 2013, respectively.
Singapore’s rifle shooter Lindsay Veloso and USA’s shotgunner Vincent Hancock, both aged 15, are the youngest World Cup gold winners.
The Jhajjar girl, who took to the sport only two years ago, scored a commendable 237.5 in the final to beat local favourite Alejandra Zavala Vazquez by 0.4 points in dramatic fashion. Alejandra is a multiple World Cup and World Cup Finals gold medallist and has been shooting since 1998, four years before Manu was born. Other than winning the gold at such a young age, Manu’s achievement is special as it came while competing against three Olympic medallists (Celine Goberville, Anna Korakkai and Heidi Diethelm) and multiple World Cup medallists. Besides, this was the first World Cup where women shooters fired 60 shots in the qualifications. Women shooters earlier took 40 shots in the qualification round but the rule was changed on January 1, 2018 for gender equality. “This medal will motivate me to reach greater heights... I dedicate this to my family and coaches, who have been supportive throughout,” Manu told TOI. Asked what was on her mind before the final shot, she said, “I just told myself to focus on my technique, irrespective of my standing in the final. I just did that and it worked”.
She is not done yet in Mexico. She has the chance to win medals in 25m pistol and 10m air pistol team events.
Brilliant final shot of 10.6 clinched the gold for Manu
Manu was leading by almost 1.5 points throughout the 24-shot final. She shot without taking the pressure of the big stage and didn’t look troubled or nervous at any point. But the gold almost slipped from her hand when she shot three under-9 shots within a gap of seven shots. Manu’s 17th shot was an 8.4. She recovered by shooting a 10.2 in her 18th shot, but an 8.1 in her 19th shot was a setback. A rollercoaster ride followed with 10.8, 9.4, 10.7 and an 8.5. Before the last shot, she was 1.4 points behind the Mexican shooter.
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Manu’s final shot was a 10.6, a brilliant effort given the immense pressure. Her rival Alejandra failed to hold her nerve, shooting an 8.8 to give the gold to the young Indian.
Manu was introduced to shooting at her school in 2016. Universal Senior Secondary school in Goriya Village is the only place with a shooting range in Jhajjar district. The range is 25km away from her residence and the standard XI student trains for almost five hours every day.
Within two years of starting competing, Manu became the national champion in all three categories she is eligible to participate in — youth (U-18), junior (U-21) and senior — with 15 medals from the National Championships in December last year.
Her father Ram Kishan is a merchant navy engineer, while mother Sumedha is the principal of her school. Her father told TOI he was not surprised at Manu’s feat. “She got her first pistol only after days of trying her hand at the sport. She is dedicated and I knew if she was asking me to invest in something, she would not take the sport lightly,” the proud father said.
Manu’s compatriot Yashaswini Deswal also finished a commendable fourth. Yashaswini shot 196.1 and missed out on the bronze.
Manu’s medal is only the fourth pistol gold won by Indians in the World Cups.
Earlier, in the qualification round, Manu had qualified fifth with a score of 572, which is a new Juniors’ Qualification World Record. Yashaswini was placed seventh in the qualification with 571. Top eight shooters in the qualification proceed to the final.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 10m air rifle event, Ravi Kumar clinched his first World Cup medal, bagging a bronze with a score of 226.4 in the final. Another Indian, Deepak Kumar, finished fourth.
1st Indian to win 2 gold medals in same World Cup
Tushar Dutt, March 7, 2018: The Times of India
Tushar Dutt, Another gold, another record for sensational Manu, March 7, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Manu could be the youngest ever to win senior World Cup gold medals for India though NRAI could not confirm.
Manu took to shooting just a little over two years ago.
India's medal count stands at three gold and four bronze medals for a total of seven podium finishes.
At the moment, Manu Bhaker looks unstoppable. The Haryana girl, who made history by becoming India’s youngest shooter to win a World Cup gold, added another big daddy to her kitty by topping the10m air pistol mixed team event along with Om Prakash Mitharval in Guadalajara, Mexico. With this second gold, Manu has become the only Indian shooter to have won two gold medals in the same World Cup.
In the10m air pistol mixed team final, an event that made its debut in the World Cup and will be part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Bhaker-Mitharval pair scored 476.1 to triumph. They defeated the experienced duo of Christian Reitz, the Rio Games gold medallist in 25m rapidfire, and his partner Sandra Reitz. The German pair shot 475.2 to settle for the silver. The bronze went to the Franch pair of Celine Goberville (London Games silver medallist) and Florian Fouquet, who had scored 415.1in the five-pair final.
Speaking to TOI after her second win, Manu said the feeling is yet to sink in. “When I came to Mexico, I was expecting a bronze or silver at the most. I had not even thought of winning one gold, forget about two, as it was my first appearance in the senior World Cup. But when I started shooting, I felt no difference. I just shot the way I always shoot,” the double gold medallist said. When asked if things have changed for her after the double triumph, the teenager said she is still the same, but people have started noticing her.
“Personally, everything is the same for me. But yes, shooters from other countries have started recognizing me after the two medals. I had a small party with my teammates and we cut a cake. But if you ask me how my life has changed after the medals, I would not know,” she said. The shooter, who trains at a humble ‘manual’ range in her school, feels equipment is secondary and it is the dedication of the shooter that matters most.
“I train at a manual range and in international competitions we shoot at electronic targets. Technology wise there is a difference, but I don't think this can be an excuse. All a shooter needs is concentration, dedication and a training plan. I have my plan with me when I train, so it doesn’t bother me when I don’t train at an electronic range,” said the National champion, who had also won gold at the Khelo India Games last month.
Manu’s medals are extra special because they came while shooting against Olympic and World champions. But that didn’t put any pressure on the Jhajjar girl. “I knew they were shooting in the final, but I didn’t take any pressure,” she added.
Although the standard XI girl is young and new to the sport, she doesn’t believe in having an idol. “I don't have an idol and I don't believe in following anyone. I follow my game and that is it. I don't want to follow anyone and try to become like them. I want to be a different person, not somebody else,” she said.
Manu will shoot in the 25m pistol event on Saturday. When asked if expectations have increased after the two gold medals, she said, “I will not think about the medals now. I will focus on winning another one,” she said.
Meanwhile, the pair of Mehuli Ghosh and Deepak Kumar bagged bronze in 10m air rifle mixed team event. The Indians shot 435.1.
March- double gold in Jr WC
Kartik Sood, March 25, 2018: The Times of India
Coming off a double gold finish in her maiden senior shooting World Cup in Mexico, 16-year-old shooting prodigy Manu Bhaker continued her dream run on the world stage, clinching twin gold in the ISSF Junior Shooting World Cup at the Sydney International Shooting Centre in Sydney, Australia on Saturday. Manu, who hails from Jhajjar, Haryana, first won the 10 metre air pistol individual gold and then claimed gold in 10 metre air pistol individual team event alongwith Devanshi Rana and Mahima Agrawal.
The 10 metre air pistol individual final was a thriller, as Manu prevailed over Thailand’s Kanyakorn Hirunphoem in the last shot. After leading the match by as much as 2.2 points, Manu fired six consecutive shots outside the 10th ring, finding herself one point behind Hirunphoem with only two shots left to fire. Manu fired 9.6 and 9.8 in her last two shots, which was enough to overtake her rival, who shot only 7.9 in her final attempt. Manu finished with a score of 235.9 points, while Hirunphoem, who previously set a new qualification world record with 576 points, took silver with 234.9.
The bronze was taken by China’s Lu Kaiman while Manu’s teammate Devanshi took the fourth place with 195.3 points.
As in August
August 17, 2018: The Times of India
This 16-year-old is ranked ninth in 10m air pistol world rankings. The Asiad will have a tough field, tougher than the Guadalajara World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games where she won gold. But the Haryana girl will have an advantage of shooting in three events – 10m air pistol, 10m air pistol mixed event and 25m pistol. Out of the three, Manu’s best chance to win a medal will come in the mixed event, where she will be paired with Abhishek Verma. In 10m air pistol event, she will face World No. 4 Ji Xiaojing (China) and World No. 7 Qian Wang; in 25m pistol she will face World No. 3 the Chinese Yushi Yao and World No. 8 Yuemei Lin.
2021-2024: Tokyo, and after
Mihir Vasavda / The Indian Express
Manu has been the face of both the good times and the bad. Since coming into the limelight as a 16-year-old after winning the Commonwealth Games gold, her fearlessness embodied India’s rise of the army of Indian teenagers in the sport.
At the same time, she also ended up becoming the face of India’s failure to win a single medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
She was chastised for being the “match ki mujrim” after her low scores pulled the mixed team down the leaderboard; she ran out of the competition hall in tears after being unable to qualify for the final of the 10m air pistol event and, by the end of the disastrous Games, Manu and her coach Jaspal Rana had such a bitter public falling-out that it felt like a promising career had crash-landed just as it was taking off.
After the Tokyo Games, Manu felt like she was “done” with the sport. After a few weeks away, she rekindled her love for shooting and approached [coach Jaspal] Rana again. The duo buried their hatchet and here she was [in 2024 July] , flying off to unchartered territories.
2024: She had been strutting around the shooting ranges in the army town of Chateauroux, some 300 km from Paris, quietly confident of her chances. And when the time came, she executed her skill with the level of composure not seen from Indian shooters on the big stage in recent years.
Manu was never out of podium positions, and, but for a slight fumble in the middle stages where she dropped points by shooting 9s, she could have finished higher on the podium.
2024
First Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Olympics
Manu Bhaker was the 3rd Air Pistol Shooter, Man Or Woman, To Enter The 10m Final In 3 Consecutive Games.
Mihir Vasavda / The Indian Express added:
With a gentle pull of the trigger, the shooter who stormed into the limelight as a 16-year-old prodigy ended India’s dozen year-long wait for an Olympic podium finish in shooting. She won India’s first medal of the Paris Games. She also shot herself into the history books as the country’s first woman shooter to win an Olympic Games medal.
Manu’s instinctive reaction on the firing point was to purse her lips — she had missed out on a potential gold or silver medal by only 0.1 points, meaning her last shot was away from the bull’s-eye by a hairline, allowing South Korea’s Yeji Kim to overtake her.
But within a fraction of a second, the reality dawned upon her that she had the bronze and then, she broke into a big, wide smile that wouldn’t leave her face.
At 22, Manu became India’s fifth Olympic medallist in the sport — the youngest of the lot, and the first since the London Games in 2012, when Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar medalled.
1st Indian after Pritchard To Win 2 Medals at the same Olympic Games
Manu’s second bronze came in the company of another 22-year-old, a first-time Olympian — the shy Sarabjot Singh — in 10m air pistol mixed team event.
