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Two-time Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medallist Manu Bhaker secured her spot in the women's 25m air pistol final on Friday, August 2. However, another Indian, Esha Singh, competing in the same event bowed out of the competition. Bhaker finished at second position with a total of 590 points in the qualifiers of her pet event while Esha missed qualification with 581 points and finishing at 18th spot.
In the precision round, Esha Singh scored 95 points and shot 96 points in the second series of the precision event and was on the 13th spot. Singh climbed to third spot with a perfect score of 100 out of 100 in the third series. Singh finished in third spot with a total of 291 points in the first rally. In the second rally, Manu came up with 97 points in first series, and followed it with 98 points in second series before scoring 99/100 in the third series.
Next in the Rapid round, Singh scored 290 points with 97, 96 and 97 points in three series. Bhaker, on the other hand, scored a perfect 100 in the first series.
Manu Bhaker has already scripted history as she became the first athlete in Independent India to win two medals in a single Olympics edition. After clinching a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol, Manu won bronze along with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. This will be Manu's third final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
If Bhaker manages to secure a podium finish in the 25m event, her favourite event, she will become the first ever Indian to win three medals in a single Olympics edition. In the women’s 10m air pistol, Manu missed the silver medal by just 0.1 point but made up for it by adding another bronze to her bucket. For the unversed, Bhaker and Singh defeated the South Korean duo of Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho by 16-10.
On the other hand, Esha Singh is one of the most young shooters in the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 19-year-old caught headlines when she defeated Commonwealth Games medallists Heena Sidhu and Manu Bhaker at a tender age of 13. Singh won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the 2018 National Shooting Championships.
