Indian shooter Manu Bhaker placed third in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. India won its first Olympic medal as an individual in the previous century with this victory. After winning a silver medal in Athens in 2004, Bhaker’s performance at the Games signalled a major change in the performance of Indian shooters. She also made Olympic history as the first Indian woman to win two golds in one go. Indian Shooting has so far brought home seven medals at the Olympics.
History of Shooting in India
Four of India’s 35 medals in the Olympics have come from shooting, including a gold won by Abhinav Bindra at the 2008 Games. Shooting is a major Olympic sport in India. Indian shooters like Bindra, Rana, Rai, Rathore, Kumar, Narang, Chandela, Sodhi, Bhagwat, Sidhu, Singh, Bhaker, Sarnobat, and Chaudhary have all performed very well in international competitions. The top governing organisation for shooting sports in India is the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). Despite India’s success in the Olympics, the lack of infrastructure and shooting ranges in the nation makes the sport pricey for many people.
Top Shooters of India at the Olympics
Here’s the list of six Indian shooters who have won medals at the Olympic Games:
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore — Athens 2004
- In 2004, Indian soldier Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore earned the country’s first medallist in shooting at the Olympics. In the men’s double trap competition, he took home the silver medal—India’s lone shotgun winner.
- Before this, Rathore had previously won bronze in the 2003 World Championships and gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He started the double-trap event in Athens poorly and finished in sixth place.
- He did, however, make it to the final round, which helped UAE’s Ahmed Al Maktoum win the gold. In the final, Rathore defeated China’s Wang Zheng to take home the silver medal, but Al Maktoum held onto his advantage to win the gold.
- Rathore’s accomplishment was a major turning point in Indian history for shooting.
Abhinav Bindra — Beijing 2008
- Abhinav Bindra won the men’s 10m air rifle championship, making history as the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in an Olympic Games.
- Bindra, who equalled Henri Hakkinen of Finland in the final, won India’s first rifle medal at the Games.
- India now has three medals overall after Bindra’s gold medal—the first time an Indian athlete has won more than two in a single Games. Bindra struggled in the final, although she established an Olympic record in the qualification round, following in the footsteps of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s triumph at the previous Games.
- Bindra shot a virtually flawless 10.8 on the last try, earning India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal. Until Neeraj Chopra joined the elite group in Tokyo 2020, Bindra was the lone competitor from India.
Vijay Kumar — London 2012
- In London, Subedar Vijay Kumar of the Indian army won silver in the men’s 25-metre rapid-fire pistol final, earning India’s first pistol shooting medal.
- He was fourth when he qualified for the final rounds, but changing shooting regulations gave him a chance to start over.
- Although Kumar made a fantastic stroke to take the lead, Leuris Pupo of Cuba had a commanding lead going into the last shot, and Kumar had to settle for second place and a silver.
- Eight years after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s silver medal in Athens, this is India’s second silver medal in shooting.
Gagan Narang — London 2012
- India’s shooting contingent, including Gagan Narang, played a significant role in their success at the London Games.
- After a disappointing performance at the Beijing Olympics, Narang performed well in London, securing a bronze medal in the men’s 10m air rifle final.
- His performance in the final at the Royal Artillery Barracks was India’s first medal at the London Olympics.
- This marked India’s second-best show in Olympic history, after Niccolo Campriani and Alin Moldoveanu won gold and silver.
- India failed to win a shooting medal in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021. The Indian shooting contingent’s performance at the London Games was a key factor in their success.
Manu Bhaker – Paris 2024
- Manu Bhaker ended a 12-year streak in the sport by winning the first medal ever won by India in the Olympic shooting competition in Paris 2024.
- Bhaker won her first Olympic medal with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol final. In addition, she became the second pistol shooter after Vijay and the first Indian woman to win an Olympic gold.
- In the eight-woman final, South Korean shooter Oh Ye Jin won the gold medal with a new Olympic record of 243.2, while Bhaker finished third with a score of 221.7. Yeji Kim, a fellow countryman of Bhaker, secured the silver medal with a final score of 241.3.
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh – Paris 2024
- Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won India’s second medal at the Paris Olympics, securing a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals from the same edition of the Games and the second Indian woman after PV Sindhu to win two Olympic medals.
- She also became the third Indian after Sushil Kumar and shuttler Sindhu to win two individual Olympic medals. Bhaker and Singh defeated Republic of Korea’s Oh Ye Jin and Wonho Lee 16-10 in the bronze medal match.
Swapnil Kusale – Paris 2024
- Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale surpassed his two medals from the London 2012 Olympics by winning his third medal at the Paris Olympics.
- Kusale, who began the final in sixth place, shot steadily in both the prone and standing positions to move up to third. A 10.0 in the subsequent shot, though, was insufficient to win the gold.
- With a score of 463.6, Liu Yukun of China took home the gold medal, and Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine took home the silver (461.3).
- Indian shooters have now won three medals at the Olympics for the first time, more than they did in the London 2012 Games.
Conclusion
India has a strong Olympic shooting record, having taken home seven medals total, four of which were from shooting. Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, and Swapnil Kusale are a few well-known Indian shooters. However, for many, the activity is out of reach due to a lack of infrastructure and shooting ranges in the nation. The success of the Indian shooting contingent was largely attributed to their performance at the London Games.
