Chateauroux: Manu Bhaker fell agonizingly short of becoming India’s first-ever athlete to win three individual Olympic medals at the same game at Paris Olympics 2024 but firmly etched her name in the annals of Indian sporting history. She lost in a shoot-off to Hungary’s Veronika Major to finish fourth in the women’s 25m pistol final at the Chateauroux shooting range on Saturday. Korea’s Jiin Yang won gold, beating Camille Jedrzejewski of France in a shoot-off, with Jedrzejewski taking the silver medal.
The 22-year-old Indian, who had already made history by becoming the nation’s first athlete to win two medals (both bronze) in one edition of the quadrennial showpiece, finished fourth with a total score of 28.
Manu’s shooting has seen a marked improvement after patching up with legendary former shooter-turned-coach Jaspal Rana. She had already won the 10m women’s air pistol bronze and 10m air pistol mixed team bronze pairing with Sarabjot Singh earlier in the Games.
Starting the final in sixth place after the first series, Manu hit just two out of her first five shots. The early leaders, Jedrzejewski, Rostamiyan, and Trinh, each secured four hits, setting a high benchmark. In her second series, Manu improved significantly, hitting four targets and moving up to fourth place. By this point, Yang led the competition with eight hits, followed closely by Rostamiyan and Trinh, each with seven hits. Manu had accumulated six hits, positioning herself within striking distance of the leaders.
The Indian continued her strong performance with another series of four hits. The final was extremely close, with athletes ranked from second to sixth tied at 10 points each. Yang retained the lead with 13 points. Despite her strong start, Manu experienced a slight dip in the following series, hitting three targets and dropping to a tie for sixth place with 13 points. Yang extended her lead to 17 points, creating a more challenging competition gap.
Facing potential elimination, Manu delivered an exceptional performance, hitting five out of five shots under immense pressure. This remarkable series elevated her to a tie for third place with Jedrzejewski, both scoring 18 points. Yang led with 20 points, while Major moved to second place with 19 points. Manu’s consistency continued as she hit four out of five targets in the sixth series. Major’s poor performance (two hits) caused her to drop to fourth place. Both Manu and Jedrzejewski capitalized on this, tying for second place with 22 points each, still trailing Yang by two points.
In the seventh series, Manu maintained her high level, hitting four targets. Jedrzejewski matched her performance, while Yang hit three, reducing her lead to just one point. The standings were: Yang first with 28 points, Manu and Jedrzejewski tied for second with 27, and Major fourth with 26. However, a score of two out of five in the eighth series led to a shoot-off between Manu and Major, both tied with 28 points. Despite her efforts, Manu missed two, while Major erred just once, resulting in a fourth-place finish for Bhaker.
Manu had finished second with a fantastic score of 592 in the qualification after the precision and rapid rounds of the 25m pistol event, showcasing her incredible skill and resilience throughout the competition.