Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, defeating Oh Ye Jin and Wonho Lee of South Korea 16-10 at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
The Indian pair didn’t get off to the brightest of starts, losing the first series. But the two quickly bounced back to lead 4-2 after the third series and extended it to 8-2 after five. However, South Korea closed the gap to 6-10 after the eighth series. But the Indian duo held its nerve to cruise to victory with a comfortable margin.
Manu had a strong start, scoring 10.2 on her first shot. Sarabjot Singh’s 8.6 initially cost India two points, but he quickly recovered with scores of 10-plus, helping India secure the next six points.
Manu consistently scored at least 10 on her first seven shots. However, Oh Ye Jin kept the South Koreans in the competition, allowing them to recover from an 8-2 deficit and extend the match to 14-10.
In the final round, Oh Ye Jin, the Olympic champion, scored 9 on her last shot, while her partner managed a 9.5. Manu scored 9.4, but Sarabjot’s 10.2 secured the medal for India.
“I feel really proud and have a lot of gratitude,” Manu said after the historic feat. “Thank you so much for all the blessings and love. We can only control what is in our hands. I had a chat with my father regarding this before coming here and decided we should keep fighting till the last shot.”
Sarabjot said, “It feels great. The game was tough, but we were glad we could do it. There was a lot of pressure, but the crowd was great.”
They had finished third in qualifying on Monday with a combined score of 580.
This is Sarabjot’s first Olympic medal. Meanwhile, Manu is now the first Indian to win multiple medals at a single Olympic Games. She opened India’s account at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
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