India’s top shooter Manu Bhaker has the chance to make history on Day 4 of the Paris Olympics, aiming to become the first Indian athlete since independence to win two medals in a single campaign.
Manu Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting, securing bronze in the women’s individual 10m air pistol final. On Tuesday, she could create even more history if she and her partner Sarabjot Singh clinch another bronze in the mixed team 10m air pistol final. Should Manu win another bronze, she would be the first athlete from Independent India to win two medals in the same Olympic Games.
The only Indian athlete to achieve this feat before is Norman Pritchard, who won two silver medals in athletics at the 1900 Games when India was under British rule. Since Pritchard, no Indian athlete has won two medals in a single campaign.
Several Indian athletes have won two Olympic medals in their careers. Wrestler Sushil Kumar won a bronze at Beijing 2008 and a silver at London 2012, becoming the first Indian individual athlete to win multiple Olympic medals post-independence. Badminton player PV Sindhu won silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, making her the only Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals across different Games.
Manu Bhaker’s situation is unique as she could become the first post-independence Indian to win two medals at the same Olympic Games.
Manu and Sarabjot Singh will compete against the Korean pair of Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho for the bronze medal. Manu and Sarabjot scored a combined total of 580 in the qualifiers to finish third, while the Koreans scored 579 to secure fourth place. On Day 4, the Indian duo hopes to replicate their qualifying performance.
