Paris : Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Singh clinch 2nd Bronze Medal for India in Paris Olympics 2024 , in Shooting – 10 M Air Pistol Mixed Event, defeating South Korea 16-10 at National Shooting Center in Chateauroux.
With this feat, Manu becomes the 1st Indian and 2nd athlete to achieve 2 medals in a single Olympics edition.
The Match that sealed the fate
The event was Bronze Medal qualifying Match, was followed by Mixed 10 M shooting event a day before where Manu and Sarabjot qualified for this event.
Their opponents were the mighty Republic of Korea pair Oh Ye Jin (Gold Medalist in 10 M Air Pistol event) and Wonho Lee.
Manu Bhaker started strongly, shooting a 10.2 on her opening shot. Sarabjot Singh’s 8.6 cost India the first two points but he recovered quickly with scores of 10.5, 10.4 and 10 to help India take the next six points.
Manu Bhaker struck at least a 10 on her first seven shots. However, Oh Ye Jin kept the South Koreans in the hunt with her consistency as they recovered from an 8-2 deficit to stretch the match to 14-10.
Oh Ye Jin, the Olympic champion, struck a 9 on her final shot while her partner managed a 9.5. Manu Bhaker hit a 9.4 but winning shot of 10.2 from Sarabjot confirmed the 2nd medal for India.
Earlier, Manu Bhaker clinched Bronze in Air Pistol Shooting Single Women’s and now this is her second medal. Sarabjot who nearly missed podium in his singles event contributed greatly for this feat.
What the winners said post win ?
Sarabjot Singh : “It feels great. The game was tough, but glad we could do it”.
Manu Bhaker : “I feel really proud and a lot of gratitude… It is just blessings. Thanks for all the blessings and love. We can only control what is in our hands. I had a chat with my father regairding this and decided we keep fighting till the last shot”.
