Manu Bhaker

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker became the first Indian shooter to secure an Olympic medal, clinching bronze in the women's 10-metre air pistol event. She followed this achievement by winning a second bronze in the mixed 10-metre team competition, establishing herself as the first Indian to win two medals at a single Olympic Games since national independence.

Early Development and Transition to Shooting

Born in 2002 in Goria village, Jhajjar district, Bhaker engaged in various sports including boxing, skating, and tennis during her childhood. At age 14, she pivoted to competitive shooting. Supported by a 150,000 rupee investment from her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, she began formal training. Her academic progression remained concurrent with her athletic development; she earned a degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College in 2022 and later completed a master's degree in Public Administration from DAV College, Chandigarh, in 2024.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

Rapid Rise in International Competition

Bhaker marked her international debut with a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships. In 2018, she became the youngest Indian to win a World Cup gold at age 16 during the ISSF event in Guadalajara, Mexico, defeating Alejandra Zavala. Later that year, she achieved a record-setting gold medal performance at the Commonwealth Games. Her momentum continued at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, where she became the first Indian female athlete to secure a gold medal in the competition.

Olympic Challenges and Technical Resilience

The path to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics involved overcoming technical hurdles, including a jammed pistol during a crucial qualifying event in Munich. Her performance at the Tokyo Games resulted in early exits, which she attributed to equipment failure. Seeking to refine her technique for the 2024 cycle, she reunited with coach Jaspal Rana in 2023. Rana implemented a high-intensity training regimen modeled on Olympic match conditions, a strategy that directly preceded her dual-medal success in Paris.

Recognitions and Institutional Honors

Bhaker’s career is punctuated by significant accolades within the Indian sports landscape. She received the Arjuna Award in 2020 for her contributions to shooting. In 2024, she was honored with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting recognition in India, marking her as the youngest shooter to receive the distinction. Currently, she continues her professional development through a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management at the Indian Institute of Management Rohtak.