India’s first Gold medal in shooting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games has come in the women’s 10 m Air Pistol category, courtesy a 16-year-old, who picked up the sport just two years ago, and is making her CWG debut this year.
Haryana’s Manu Bhaker not only managed to beat her much experienced compatriot Heena Sidhu to the Gold, but she also finished on top of the podium with a CWG record score of 240.9. Bhaker in fact was in the lead throughout the event – the qualifiers and the finals.
Placed sixth in the final at one stage, Heena Sidhu staged a remarkable recovery to secure Silver with an aggregate of 234.
The Bronze medal went to Australia’s Elena Galiabovitch who ended with 214.9.
On expected lines, Bhaker produced some excellent shooting and notched up 10 and above scores on 14 occasions in the eight-women finals, ending with a 10.4 to finish way ahead of pack.
Bhaker was the overwhelming favourite to win the event, having bagged Gold medals at the 2018 ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the following Junior World Cup in Sydney.
Heena Sidhu of India, left, hugs gold medal winner Manu Bhaker of India, right, during the women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the Belmont Shooting Centre during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, April 8, 2018.
Sidhu Stages Fightback
Entering the Games after being embroiled in a controversy over the Sports Ministry’s initial decision to refuse accreditation to her husband-cum-coach Ronak Pandit, Sidhu was off to a poor start and was staring at elimination at one stage, only to pull off a fine fightback and prove her detractors wrong.
After a series of scores of 9s, Sidhu found her bearings and shot 10-plus scores nine times to not just widen the gap but finish well ahead of the eventual bronze medallist.
There was no doubt about Bhaker — she was miles ahead and certain to emerge champion when Sidhu and Galiabovitch were tied with 195 points with four more shots left in the finals. Bhaker had tallied 201.7 points by then.
After struggling to get going, Sidhu was back in medal contention with 175.3 points, courtesy a few 10-plus scores, even as Bhaker led with 180.2 points with six shots left.
Bhaker led with 141.5 points in Stage 2 Elimination, while Sidhu was placed sixth with 134.9 points.
Bhaker set the tempo when she recorded 101.5 at the end of first stage, leaving the others to play catch up for the rest of the finals. Her concentration was unwavering and she held her nerve all through to continue her golden run.Manu Bhaker of India reacts after winning the gold medal with India’s Sidhu Heena, silver, left, and Australia’s Elena Galiabovitch, bronze, right, during the women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the Belmont Shooting Centre during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, April 8, 2018.
Bhaker, a Shooter By Chance
Manu picked up shooting only two years back, after dabbling with boxing, skating, martial arts and even tennis, winning laurels, both at the national and international levels.
However, shooting is what finally caught her fancy when, at the age of 14, her father took her to the range and asked her to try her hand at the sport. Her shots found the centre of the target, and a champion had found her true calling.
Ramkishan Bhaker, Manu’s fatherShe has a natural talent for sports. She picks up a new sport quite easily. But her problem was that she used to get bored rather quickly and would give up. Also, there have been times when she felt that she had been handed a raw deal in a tournament. After that, she would stop playing that sport. She feels that shooting is the perfect sport for her. No one can manipulate the results. It’s a transparent sport.
The story since has been pretty much a fairy tale for the Haryana native. Regular performances in the junior level saw her as an emerging champion, but she really burst onto the scene when she bagged a massive total of 15 medals, including nine Golds, at the 61st National Shooting Championship last December. One of those Gold medals was won beating Heena Sidhu in a final, where the young Manu set a new national record. (The Quint)
