Manu Bhaker was born on 18 February 2002 and is a shooter from India in the discipline of sport pistol. She has earned two bronze medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics being held in Paris, with one coming in the women’s 10-metre air pistol category, making her the first sport shooter from her country to bag a medal in any Olympics. She followed up with another bronze in the mixed 10-metre air pistol team event, becoming the first Indian woman ever to win two medals at an Olympics.
Earlier, Bhaker has won a gold at 2018 Commonwealth Games at the age of 16. Before that, she also became the youngest Indian to win a gold at ISSF World Cup in 2018.
Early Life
Manu Bhaker belongs to Goria village of Jhajjar district in Haryana. Her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, is a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy. Till the age of 14, she played various sports which included: Huyen langlon, Manipuri Martial art, boxing, tennis, and skating. She even won medals in those events in the national games. When Bhaker was 14, she decided to stick with shooting as her sports career. With the help of her father’s investment of Rs. 1,50,000,
Bhaker made up her mind to play competitive shooting.
Career(2017-2020)
Manu Bhaker is an emerging shooting sensation. She first impacted the international arena by winning a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships. Further, during the same year, she beamed with bright performance at the National Games in Kerala, pocketing nine golds with 242.3 points.
In 2018, Bhaker again triumphed at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Mexico in 2018. She won a gold in the Women’s 10-meter air pistol, beating Mexico’s two-time champion Alejandra Zavala, with a score of 237.5 as against Zavala’s 237.1. In a new event, she also took another gold, in the mixed team event, partnering Om Prakash Mitharval, and got 476.1 points.
Bhaker thereafter continued her sterling performances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning the women’s 10m air pistol event with a then tournament record score of 240.9. At the 2018 Asian Games, she came fifth in the 25m air pistol qualification with a record score of 593 but sixth in the finals.
In 2018, at the Youth Olympics, Manu Bhaker became the first Indian shooter and female ever to win a gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol, scoring at 236.5. With the guidance of the national pistol coach, Jaspal Rana, he also hailed her as mentally tough with potential to shine at the 2020 Olympics.
In 2019, she followed this up with multiple gold medals in the 10m air pistol mixed events, partnering with Saurabh Chaudhry at the ISSF World Cups and emerged as a strong contender on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
2021-2024
She captured the team gold for India in the women’s 25m pistol team event at the 2022 Asian Games, partnering with Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan.
Bhaker notched two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The first came in the women’s 10m Air Pistol; she was the first woman to win a medal in shooting for India at any Olympics. In the mixed 10m Air Pistol team event, she partnered with Sarabjot Singh to take another bronze. She is the first Indian to win two medals at an Olympics since India became independent.
Manu Bhaker wins shooting bronze | Paris 2024 highlights
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh team provided light on Day 4 of medal events at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team shooting event. They beat South Korea. Bhaker went on to be the first athlete in history to win two medals for independent India in a single edition of the Olympics.
In boxing, Amit Panghal lost in the round of 16 in the men’s 51 kg category, while Jaismine Lamboria lost in the women’s round of 32 in the 57 kg category.In the round of 16 of the women’s 54kg, Preeti Pawar was defeated. In the individual round in archery, Bhajan Kaur just touched the mark of the last person qualified in the round of 16 of the women’s archery event. Coming to rowing, Balraj Panwar finished 5th in the men’s single sculls quarterfinal. India men’s hockey team defeated Ireland 2-0.
Manu Bhaker Net Worth
According to a myKhel report, Bhaker’s Wiki Biography says her net worth as of 2024 stands at a staggering estimate of around Rs 12 crore since it includes earnings from competitions and through several endorsements, among other things. Haryana sports minister Anil Vij had announced a reward of Rs 2 crore to Bhaker last year following her winning gold at the Youth Olympics. Manu Bhaker tweeted on Friday that all the tall-promises were ‘jumla’ (empty), but it is unclear whether the amount was transferred at that time.
Her father made the first important investment of Rs 1,50,000 in Baker’s shooting career when he was just starting out. With the first fillip having come from the OGQ, an independent, private fundraising trust that supports 79 (track and field, shooting, and skating) athletes so far in their quest for Olympic gold, the report adds that Bhaker belongs to the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme and, between preparations for four World Cups and the Tokyo Olympics, received a total of Rs 12,16,257. The ACTC also provided her with a support of Rs 1,50,67,390. These funds have ensured that Bhaker has access to top-notch training facilities, coaches, and international competition exposure.
Total Spent on Manu Bhaker for Olympics
The Govt spent Rs 2 crore on training Manu Bhaker. She was sent to Germany and Switzerland for the training. Financial help was provided related to it which needed to hire a coach who was as per her wanting. We are providing all these facilities in the ecosystem to all the athletes so that they give in their best performance at national and international competitions. I am confident that our athletes will perform well in the Paris Olympics too.
Technology Used by Manu Bhaker
Manu Bhaker is an overnight sensation and a shooter from India. She likes updating her knowledge regarding the latest technology. She loves gadgets that would keep her physically and mentally fit; both are quite essential for her sport.
One of her favorite devices was an Apple Watch—an intelligent wrist wearable that would help in tracking fitness routines and monitor heart rate in every workout. Apart from that, she was really impressed by the sleek design and believed this device would genuinely help her track steps, calories, and even sleeping pattern estimations. This will allow her to have meaningful notifications, hence be connected but not necessarily on it.
Manu also uses an iPhone, which she admitted was quite instrumental in keeping her very busy schedule. Her device reminded her of training, and she had been able to communicate in return with her coaches and family members. The high-resolution camera keeps her fan base inspired and motivated by snapping and sharing bits of training on social media.
Advanced shooting simulators were the main places where Manu did her shooting practice. They can simulate an almost real, controlled environment in which a person can practice the fine art of shooting without physically being there at the shooting range. They helped her in practicing precision and focus that shall give her success during competitions.
She’s also a user of noise-canceling headphones, especially those from the Bose QuietComfort series. Instrumental to her, they help her focus by blotting out all distractions and keeping her focused during training. Peace of mind and focus she gets from music apps on phone, like Calm and Headspace.
Basically, on a serious note, smartwatches, mobile phones, and advanced training equipment make the daily reliance of Manu Bhaker. Her liking for technology fuels rigorous practice sessions in hitting her targets.
Conclusion
Manu Bhaker has been a story of success based on dedication to talent, hard work, and unbowed struggle against the odds. Starting right from her early years, she continued to break records and set jazz bars in the shooting sports. The victory that was on her card during the important 2024 Summer Olympic Games really turned her prowess alive with twin bronzes. Early successes included the Commonwealth Games and the ISSF World Cups. Continuing to inspire many young athletes with her spirit of perseverance and excellence, supported by family and national programs, Manu Bhaker is the woman who defines the real togetherness in India.