"This medal is for all of us."
In a moment of pride for India, Manu Bhaker has become the first female Indian Olympic medallist in shooting.
The 22-year-old won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
In the Women’s 10m pistol event, she finished with a score of 221.17 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.
This marked the first time India achieved a medal in the sport after 12 years.
In 2012, Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar scored high in shooting in London.
Manu Bhaker finished the competition in third place, just 0.1 points behind the South Korean athlete Oh Yejin.
Oh Yejin secured the silver medal while her fellow Korean player Kim Yeji won the gold.
Manu previously finished third in the qualification round and was the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic shooting final in 20 years.
In 2021, Manu grew emotional following a pistol malfunction at the Tokyo Olympics.
She said: “Honestly, I have very bitter memories from the Tokyo Olympics.
“I wondered why this happened to me. What did I do wrong?
“I think we all have to make our peace with some situations, especially when it’s no longer in our hands.
“We can’t change the past. What happened was unpleasant, but I had to find a way to move on with my life.
“After Tokyo, I was very disappointed. It took me a long time to overcome that.
“However, I came back stronger. What is now is what matters. Let the past remain in the past.”
Speaking about winning the bronze medal, Manu Bhaker revealed that reading the Bhagavad Gita helped her.
The athlete explained: “I am feeling great. It feels surreal. I put in a lot of effort.
“Even for the last shot, I was fighting with all the energy I had.
“I read a lot of Gita. What was going through my mind was, ‘Just do what you are meant to do’.
“You can’t control the outcome of your destiny.
“That was running in my head. I thought, ‘Do your thing and let it all be’.
“This medal is for all of us. I am really happy that I was the medium for this medal for India. It’s a very good feeling.
“I still have a lot of events to go and I want to do well there too.”
“I hope India wins as many medals as possible. To all my loved ones, thank you so much for sticking by me through my hard times.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Manu on her historic win.
He wrote on X: “A historic medal! Well done, @realmanubhaker for winning India’s FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024!
“Congratulations for the bronze. This success is even more special as she becomes the first woman to win a medal in shooting for India.
“An incredible achievement!”
A historic medal!
Well done, @realmanubhaker, for winning India’s FIRST medal at #ParisOlympics2024! Congrats for the Bronze. This success is even more special as she becomes the 1st woman to win a medal in shooting for India.
An incredible achievement!#Cheer4Bharat
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2024
Manu also achieved the Paris Olympics quota when she came in fifth place in the Women’s 25m pistol event at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships.
She currently holds the position of being the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup.
Manu is also a 2018 Commonwealth Games champion in the Women’s 10m air pistol event.
Additionally, Manu Bhaker is the first Indian shooter and female athlete with a gold medal from the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
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