Late on Tuesday night, Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh scored a groundbreaking Bronze in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team shooting event. This is India’s sixth Olympic shooting medal overall and first ever in a Mixed team shooting event.
On Day 4 of the Olympics, the duo went head-to-head at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux against the Republic of Korea’s Oh Ye Jin and Wonho Lee, defeating the latter with a score of 16-10 and clinching their bronze victory.
Oh Ye Jin won the gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event on Sunday where Bhaker won the Bronze. Wonho Lee was the fourth place contender in the Men’s 10m air pistol shooting event. But, the sum of the Indian team proved to be greater than its parts. The South Korean team played with an expert nonchalance, standing on the shooting line with a hand in their pockets. But as the finish line drew closer, their anxieties were apparent on their faces. Contrastingly, Manu and Sarabjot pulled their best shots under pressure and were laser focused during critical moments.
Manu Bhaker was in top form, as she scored a 10.2 on her opening shot. Incidentally, Sarabjot Singh’s 8.6 cost India the first two points but he recovered quickly to score 10.5, 10.4 and 10 and India took the next six points. The eclectic duo ensured 19 out of 26 shots hit a minimum of 10 while the South Koreans hit 12 shots meeting the minimum of 10.0 score.
“It’s great. The first medal was really good and again the fight was really tough,” Manu said. “It was neck-to-neck with each shot, like with my first bronze. But the last shot was Sarabjot’s, so big up to him.”
Last Sunday, Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting. But the mixed team event has written her name in athletic history permanently as she becomes the first athlete of Independent India to win two medals in one edition of the Olympics. Come Friday, she’ll be competing in the 25m Air Pistol Event with 1.2 billion proud eyes on the miraculous 22-year-old.
