Manu Bhaker just can't stop winning! The 22-year-old became the first India in the post-Independence era to win two medals in the same edition of the Olympics. (Full Coverage | More Sports News)
Bhaker along with Sarabjot Singh played an ideal foil as the pair won the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze defeating South Korea to script history at the Paris Olympics on July 30, Tuesday.
The Indian pair defeated the Koreans 16-10 to earn the country its second medal at the quadrennial showpiece. Bhaker had earlier bagged a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol event at the same venue.
British-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard was the first athlete to win two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics but it wasn't counted as the achievement had come in the pre-Independence era.
Here is a look at the Indian athletes who have won two individual medals in the global showpiece, albeit in different years.
Sushil Kumar (Wrestling):
Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar was India's first two-time medallist when he won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics which put Indian wrestling on the world map. He then bettered his own achievement, by securing a first-ever wrestling silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, his fall from grace was tragic as he was found involved in the murder of junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar in 2021 and continues to serve his jail-term in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
P V Sindhu (Badminton):
Indian badminton sensation PV Sindhu etched her name in the record books when she became the first shuttler from the country to win a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Hyderabadi then claimed a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago to emerge as the second Indian to win two Olympic medals, joining Sushil in achieving the feat. A 2019 world champion, Sindhu is now chasing the unprecedented feat of becoming the only Indian athlete to win three Olympic medals as she competes in women’s singles competition at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Manu Bhaker (Shooting):
Manu Bhaker is has created history at the ongoing Paris Olympics. She has not only joined Sindhu and Sushil as the third Indian to win two medals but also achieved the unique feat of attainting it in the same edition of an Olympics. Bhaker showed nerves of steel as she. alongwith Sarabjot Singh, secured a team bronze medal in 10m air pistol competition on Tuesday. It was her second medal at the quadrennial showpiece after claiming a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol at the same venue on Sunday. It was a historic feat and a testament to her mental fortitude as she exorcised the ghosts of a horrendous Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago where she was left in tears after her pistol malfunctioned.
The 22-year-old will have another crack at a medal opportunity hen she competes in the women’s 25m air pistol event whose qualification round will be held on August 2.
