Shooting
Manu Bhaker returns strong in National Trials after historic Olympic campaign
Simranpreet Kaur Brar topped the trials, while Esha Singh finished second.
Manu Bhaker (Photo credit: Sportstar)
Manu Bhaker made an impressive return to competitive shooting at the national selection trials for the upcoming international events, on Monday. She has been out of action since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Bhaker recorded a qualification score of 587 in the 25m pistol event, the highest in the field, before finishing third in the finals.
The 25m Pistol Women’s (T1) category trial finished with Simranpreet Kaur Brar from Punjab emerging as the winner. She secured first place with a total score of 36, edging out Esha Singh from Telangana, who finished second with 35 hits.
Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, who had a fantastic qualification score of 587, ended the final in third place with 31 hits.
The event is part of India's selection process for major international competitions, including World Cups and other global tournaments.
At just 22 years old, Manu Bhaker has already cemented her place as India’s most successful female shooter. She made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal, securing bronze in the 10m air pistol event.
This achievement came a day after she became the first Indian female shooter in 20 years to reach an Olympic final in an individual event.
She went on to win a second bronze medal in Paris, teaming up with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, making her the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single Olympic Games.
She also won the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award recently for her achievements.
Unofficial record for Sift
Sift Kaur Samra, who set the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions world record with a score of 469.6 at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, has now surpassed her own record at the Selection Trials in New Delhi.
Competing at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, she registered a stunning total score of 469.8, breaking her previous record.
However, this will remain unofficial as this is a national-level event.
