Haryana has long been known for producing top-notch athletes, especially in boxing and wrestling. However, Manu Bhaker charted her own path, diverging from the traditional sports to become a shooting sensation. Her journey began with a diverse range of sports, including tennis, skating, and boxing, but it was shooting that truly captured her heart.
Manu’s passion for sports was evident from a young age. Alongside her interest in sports, she excelled in ‘thang ta,’ a form of martial arts, winning national medals. Her love for shooting was sparked at just 14, shortly after the 2016 Rio Olympics. After trying out multiple sports, Bhaker quickly fell for shooting and, within a week, convinced her father to buy her a sport shooting pistol, setting the stage for her future success.
Her father’s support was unwavering, and Manu soon began making waves in the shooting world. At the 2017 National Shooting Championships, she made headlines by defeating Olympian and former world No. 1 Heena Sidhu with a record score of 242.3 in the 10m Air Pistol category. The same year, she won silver at the Asian Junior Championships.
In 2018, Manu’s talent shone on the international stage. She made her ISSF World Cup debut in Guadalajara, breaking the junior world record in qualification and becoming the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup. Her gold in the women’s 10m Air Pistol at the 2018 Commonwealth Games further cemented her place in shooting history.
Manu qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a strong performance at the 2019 Munich ISSF World Cup, and she added gold and silver medals in the 10m Air Pistol at the 2021 New Delhi ISSF World Cup. Despite topping the qualification round in Tokyo, a pistol malfunction cost her a medal.
Determined to make her mark, Manu returned with renewed focus for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she clinched a historic bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol event, proving her resilience and dedication to the sport.
