Chateauroux (France), Jul 27 (PTI) Sport can be brutal at times and Manu Bhaker has experienced that on the biggest stage. Three years after the Tokyo heartbreak, she produced a supremely confident performance to redeem herself and enter the women’s 10m air pistol final at the Paris Olympics here on Saturday.

Barring Bhaker’s brilliant show, it was a forgettable opening day for the Indian shooters who could not reach the final of men’s 10m air pistol and 10m air rifle mixed team events.

The 22-year-old from Jhajjar shot 580 to finish third in the qualifications in which Hungarian ace Veronika Major claimed the top spot with a score of 582. The other Indian in the field, Rhythm Sangwan, ended 15th with an underwhelming 573.

Bhaker, who was in control for the major part of the one hour 15 minute session, will have to maintain the same composure in the all-important final at the National Shooting Centre here on Sunday.

India has not won an Olympic medal in shooting since 2012 and Bhaker is well placed to end that lean run.

A pistol malfunction in the qualifications at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had reduced Bhaker to tears but on Saturday, she put up an effort that is expected of an athlete who has won many medals on the international stage.

Standing at a distance, Bhaker’s personal coach Jaspal Rana could not stop his tears before saying that the job was only half done.

“What happened today doesn’t matter anymore. Tomorrow is when it counts. We start afresh,” he told

Source: PTI News