Happy Birthday to Manu Bhaker – The Olympic Shooter

Manu Bhaker is an Indian Olympian who competes in airgun shooting. She represented India at the 2018 ISSF World Cup and won two gold medals.

Manu Bhaker was born on 18 February 2002 and is from Goria village in the Haryana district. Her father works in the Merchant Navy. Until age 14, Manu excelled in other sports like Huyen langlon (a Manipuri martial art), boxing, tennis, and skating. She even won medals in national games in these events.

Later she decided to take up shooting and won the silver medal at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships. In the 2017 National Games, Manu Bhaker won nine gold medals and defeated multiple World Cup medallists. In the 2018 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup, Manu Bhaker won the Women’s 10-meter air pistol gold medal. She is the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup.

She won the gold medal in the women’s 10 m air pistol event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at 16 in her maiden Commonwealth Games appearance. In all four Pistol & Rifle ISSF World Cups in 2019, she won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed event with Saurabh Chaudhry as her partner.  

Staff Reporter