Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh landed India's second medal of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 as the shooting pair won bronze in the 10m mixed team air pistol event on Tuesday. Manu and Sarabjot, who qualified for the bronze medal match on Monday, outperformed South Korea by 16-10 win to double India's medal count at shooting at the Games. On Sunday, Manu scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal at the Olympics, whereas Sarabjot, competing in the men's event, missed out on a podium finish. However, today's win has solidified Manu's legacy, as she is now the first athlete of independent India to win multiple medals at a single Olympic Games.

Indian sports has witnessed some decorated Olympic athletes over the years. KD Jadhav, Major Dhyan Chand, Karnam Malleswari, Abhinav Bindra (first-ever individual gold medallist), Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra, and many more have brought glory to the nation. However, none of them could achieve the feat of winning multiple medals at a single Olympics, a milestone Manu has achieved in her second games, at all of 22 years of age. But wait. That's not all. Manu now has a chance to do the unthinkable, land a hat-trick of medals when she has a hit in the 25m air rifle event.

The competition followed a race-to-16-points format, with the first pair to reach 16 points declared the winners. The Korean shooters started strong with 20.5 points, while Manu and Sarabjot from India hit 18.8, giving Korea the first two points. In the second series, Korea shot 19.9, but with Manu scoring 10.7 and Sarabjot 10.5, India took it, tying the score at 2-2.

In the next round, Sarabjot and Manu both hit 10.4, totalling 20.8 points. Oh Ye Jin's 9.1 hurt Korea, whose total score was 19.8, giving India a 4-2 lead. India then increased their lead to 6-2 with another series win, as Manu and Sarabjot scored 20.7 against Korea's 20.5.

How the match played out

Following a timeout called by Korea, India won the fifth series, leading the match 8-2. Sarabjot scored 9.6, and Manu's fantastic 10.6 brought India's total to 20.1 against Korea's 19.5. However, Korea pulled one back in the sixth series with Oh Ye Jin shooting a superb 10.8, making the score 8-4. Manu and Sarabjot quickly returned to winning form, clinching the seventh series and leading 10-4, with Manu scoring 10.6 and Sarabjot 9.4, while Korea failed to surpass their total. Each time Sarabjot fumbled with less than a 10-pointer, Manu made up for the stumble, constantly hitting around the 10.4 and 10.5 margin.

In the next series, Manu hit 8.3 and Sarabjot 10.2, but Korea's total of 20.7 won them the series, bringing the score to 10-6. India then took a timeout, during which their coach spoke to Manu and adjusted Sarabjot's shooting arm. The timeout proved effective as Sarabjot shot a superb 10.5 and Manu hit a perfect 10, leading India to a score of 20.5 against Korea's 19.4. This increased India's lead to 12-6, putting them just four points away from a medal.

Manu and Sarabjot continued their excellent performance, scoring 20.8 while the Koreans managed only 19.4, pushing India's lead to 14-6. However, there was a twist in the next series: Manu scored 9.6 and Sarabjot 9.7, resulting in a loss for India but still maintaining a healthy lead at 14-8. The Koreans fought back, winning the subsequent series with a total score of 21.0 against India's 20.2, bringing the score to 14-10.

Despite this comeback, India remained in a favourable position, just one series win away from clinching the match and securing the bronze medal. It was only a matter of time, and in the final series, India scored 19.6 against South Korea's 18.5, securing the medal with a decisive 16-10 victory.