India at Paris Olympics: Shooter Manu Bhaker enters 10m air pistol final

Manu Bhaker on Saturday (July 27) became the first Indian shooter at Paris Olympics 2024 to enter the finals of an event.

In the women's 10 metres Air Pistol qualification in Chateauroux, France, 22-year-old Bhaker finished third with a score of 580 after six series to enter the final, which will take place on Sunday.

The other Indian in the fray, Rhythm Sangwan finished 15th and failed to qualify for the final. She had a score of 573.

Top eight shooters qualified for the final with Hungary's Veronika Major taking the number one position with a score of 582.

Disappointment in Tokyo

Reduced to tears following her forgettable outing in her Games debut in Tokyo three years ago, Bhaker is seeking to add an Olympic medal to her very excellent resume.

A prominent shooter, who has gained international recognition for his exploits in the sport form a very young age, Bhaker looked determined to keep the Tokyo memories behind and produced a fine qualification performance.

The Haryana shooter made a bright start with a total of 97 points to take the fourth spot at the end of Series 1.

Bhaker got a 97 in the second series too and remained in fourth as Sangwan slipped to 26th after a poor outing including an 8. But Bhaker was back in the top two after an excellent 98 in her third series.

Bhaker got an 8 in the fifth series, her first bad shot in an otherwise excellent qualification, but she still remained in the mix and eventually made the final.

Eight shooters who qualified for the women's 10 M Air Pistol event

Veronika Major (Hungary): 582

Oh Ye Jin (Korea): 582

Manu Bhaker (India): 580

Thu Vinh Trinh (Vietnam): 578

Kim Yeji (Korea): 578

Li Xue (China): 577

Sevval Tarhan (Turkiye): 577

Jiang Ranxin (China): 577

(With agency inputs)