Manu Bhaker, a well-known youth Olympic shooter from India, holds the distinction of being the youngest Indian to clinch gold at the ISSF World Cup. At only 16 years old, she also achieved gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
She won the Bronze Medal in Women’s 10m Air Pistol for India in the Paris Olympics on 28 July 2024. With this she emerged as the first ever Indian Women Shooter to win a medal in the Olympics. She broke another record by winning two medals in the same Olympics. She won bronze again in the mixed Air pistol shooting along with Sarabjot Singh.
Manu Bhaker Bio/Wiki
| Profession | Sportsperson (Shooter) |
| Famous For | Winning a Gold Medal and setting a new Commonwealth Games record at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 163 cm in meters– 1.63 m in feet inches– 5’ 4” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Event(s) | • 10 m Air Pistol • 25 m Air Pistol |
| Coach/Mentor | Jaspal Rana |
| Medals | Gold • In 10 m air pistol at the 2018 Guadalajara ISSF World Cup • In 10 m air pistol mixed team at the 2018 Guadalajara ISSF World Cup • In 10 m air pistol at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games • In 10 m air pistol at the 2018 Goldcoast Commonwealth games • In 10 m air pistol mixed team at the 2019 New Delhi ISSF World Cup • In 10m air pistol mixed team at the 2019 Beijing ISSF World Cup • In 10m air pistol mixed team at the 2019 Munich ISSF World Cup • In 10m air pistol mixed team at the 2019 Rio de Janeiro ISSF World Cup • In 10m air pistol at the 2019 Doha Asian Shooting Championships • In 10 m air pistol mixed team at the 2019 Doha Asian Shooting Championships • In 10m air pistol at the 2019 Putian China ISSF World Cup • In the Women’s 25m Air Pistol Team event at the 2023 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, China Silver • In 10 m air pistol mixed team at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games Bronze • In the women’s 25m pistol at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol competition in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Records (main ones) | • Youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup (at the 2018 ISSF World Cup) • Second Youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games) • At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, she set a new Commonwealth Games record of 240.9 points • She broke the junior world record with her score 244.7 to win a gold medal in 10m air pistol at the 2019 Putian China ISSF World Cup • In December 2021, she was crowned the women’s 10m air pistol champion for the second successive time at the 64th National Shooting Championship. • On 28 July 2024, she won Bronze Medal in Paris Olympics 2024 for India in Women’s 10m Air Pistol. |
| Date of Birth | 18 February 2002 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 21 Years |
| Birthplace | Goria village, Jhajjar, Haryana |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Jhajjar, Haryana |
| School | Universal Public Senior Secondary School, Jhajjar, Haryana |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Jat |
| Hobbies | Doing needle-work, bungee-jumping, ice-skating |
| Controversies | • On 4 January 2019, she posted screenshots of Haryana sports minister Anil Vij’ tweet in which he had promised her a cash award of ₹2 crore on behalf of the Haryana government. Later, the minister slammed her for creating controversy over prize money. • After her exit from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Bhaker revealed that Jaspal Rana’s attitude towards her was not good. Reportedly, before the commencement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the rift between Manu Bhaker and Jaspal Rana had been going on for a long time, and Bhaker had also supported NRAI’s decision to relieve Rana from coaching duties ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Not Known |
| Parents | Father– Ram Kishan Bhaker (a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy) Mother– Sumedha (a school teacher) |
| Siblings | Brother– Akhil (image in the Parents’ section) Sister– None |
Manu Bhaker Early Life
Manu Bhaker was born in Goria village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district in 2002. During her early years, Bhaker achieved success in various sports, securing medals in Huyen langlon, a Manipuri martial art, as well as in boxing, tennis, and skating at national competitions. At the age of 14, she made a spontaneous decision to venture into shooting shortly after the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympics, and she quickly developed a keen interest in it. When she was just 14, Bhaker asked her father to obtain a sports shooting pistol for her to practice with.
Manu Bhaker’s achievements
Manu Bhaker surprised Olympian and former world No. 1, Heena Sidhu, by scoring a new record score of 242.3 during the 2017 national shooting championships, breaking Sidhu’s record in the 10m Air Pistol final. Manu went on to earn a silver medal in the 2017 Asian youth championships and made a splash on the global stage the following year. Manu Bhaker smashed the junior world record in the qualification stages to qualify for the women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico.
She won the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol at the Paris Olympics 2024.
In the final, Manu Bhaker shot a total of 237.5 to win gold on debut against Olympic gold medalist Anna Korakaki, three-time World Cup medalist Celine Goberville, and local favourite Alejandra Zavala. She became the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at an ISSF World Cup at the age of 16.
Manu Bhaker then won her second gold in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event, this time with Om Prakash Mitherval. Bhaker was still able to compete in the ISSF Junior World Cup and won gold medals in the 10m Air Pistol individual and mixed team events. Manu Bhaker blasted a new Games record to win the women’s 10m Air Pistol gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, a month later. She went on to win another gold in the 10m Air Pistol event at her second ISSF Junior World Cup, to go along with a bronze in the mixed team event and a bronze in the 25m pistol event.
The teenager then paired up with Saurabh Chaudhary at the 2019 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, and the collaboration has so far shown to be highly fruitful. In 2019, the duo won mixed team gold at all three ISSF World Cups, while Manu Bhaker won both the individual and mixed team events at the World Cup final in China. At the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, she won gold and silver in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team and 10m Air Pistol.
Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker of India were awarded silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Osijek, Croatia on Saturday.
Manu Bhaker Earnings
In 2021, Manu Bhaker’s earnings range from 10 Lakh to 50 Lakh. Furthermore, in the year 2020, she made a contribution of one lakh rupees to the Haryana Corona Cares Fund and stepped up to assist the country in fighting the pandemic.
Performance in Olympics
Despite not earning a medal at the Asian Games, Manu Bhaker made history at the 2018 Youth Olympics Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the 10m Air Pistol event, she became the first Indian shooter and the first female Indian athlete to win gold in the Youth Olympics. With a fourth-place finish at the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Munich, Manu Bhaker qualified for the Olympics as well. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary are regarded as one of India’s medal favourites at the Tokyo Olympics, both individually and as a team, and it’s clear to see why based on their accomplishments.
Manu Bhaker Social Media Profiles
| Manu Bhaker (@bhakermanu) | |
| Wikipedia | Manu Bhaker |
| Manu Bhaker🇮🇳 (@realmanubhaker) |
