Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh clinched a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre during the Paris Olympics. This victory marks India’s second shooting medal at the Games, following Manu Bhaker’s earlier bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
In the bronze medal match, the Indian duo faced off against South Korea’s Xue Li and Wonho Lee. India led 4-2 after the third series and extended their advantage to 8-2 after the fifth. Although South Korea narrowed the gap to 10-6 after the eighth series, Bhaker and Singh maintained their composure to secure a comfortable victory.
This medal represents Sarabjot Singh’s first Olympic achievement. Manu Bhaker, meanwhile, became the first Indian to win multiple medals at a single Olympic Games, having previously secured bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
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She joins the ranks of Norman Pritchard (athletics), Sushil Kumar (wrestling), and PV Sindhu (badminton) as one of the few Indians to win multiple medals at the Summer Games.
In the 10m Air Pistol mixed team qualification, Manu and Sarabjot finished third with 580 points and 20 perfect shots. They defeated the Korean pair 16-8 in the bronze medal match.
The Turkish team of Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec, who equaled the qualification Olympic record with 582 points, competed against Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec for the gold medal. India’s Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema finished 10th with a score of 576, failing to qualify for the medal match.
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The Indian team had a shaky start, losing the first round to Korea. However, they quickly recovered, with Manu scoring consistently high shots. Despite occasional missteps, the duo maintained a strong performance throughout the match. Korea managed to pull back some points, but the Indian pair ultimately triumphed with a score of 19.6 in the final series, securing the bronze medal.
This win not only adds to India’s medal tally at the Paris Olympics but also highlights the exceptional talent and determination of the country’s shooters.
