Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary ended with a silver medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Event at the ISSF World Cup in Croatia.
The Indian troika of Manu Bhaker, Yashaswini Singh Deswal and Rahi Sarnobat claimed the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol women's team event.
Thirteen Olympic-bound pistol and rifle shooters are currently training in Zagreb after having participated as guest invitees in the European Championship recently in Osijek.
A day before the Tokyo-bound Indian shooting contingent hits the range for its first training session in Croatia, Bhaker's pistol will give way to a pen and the shooting gear to her study materials.
Since the Indian shooting team will be staying in Croatia till July, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) with the help of Croatia Shooting Federation (CSF) has made a provision for Indian food at the team hotel.
Manu Bhaker received her first dose at a government hospital in Jhajjar, Haryana, three months before the Tokyo Olympics where she will enter as one of India's brightest medal hopes.
Manu thanked sports minister Kiren Rijiju for his prompt intervention but is also hoping for action against the Air India officials at Delhi airport. Later, Air India, too, apologised for the conduct of its staff.
Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker on Friday evening alleged that she was harassed by Air India officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport while she was trying to board a flight from Delhi to Bhopal.
Bhaker has a 10m air pistol shooting range at her home and it was also upgraded to an electronic target system recently but since the COVID-19 lockdown in March, the Tokyo Olympics hopeful has not trained in her other pet event, the 25m pistol.
Indian shooter Manu Bhaker revealed that she is learning to ride a bike during lockdown.
The National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) is working on a timeframe that allows for holding a national camp in July at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in the national capital.
Mahrashtra's Rudrankksh bagged the 10m air rifle event with a world record score of 252.9 although these scores will not be considered by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) as it is not a recognised meet.
Bhaker was primed for success at sport's grandest and biggest stage in Tokyo later this year, but the unprecedented health crisis intervened and forced a postponement of the Games by a year.
Former India shooter Shimon Sharif has successfully organised the second edition of the virtual tournament last Saturday and he is optimistic of this becoming a regular affair at a time when the world is under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 18-year old pistol shooter, who was one of the medal hopefuls in Tokyo Olympics, said while health comes first she is disappointed at the Games being postponed by the year due to the outbreak of the deadly virus.
Commonwealth and Youth Olympic Games champion Bhaker was among the 49 eminent sports personalities who Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to on Friday regarding spreading awareness about the coronavirus pandemic.
Manu Bhaker also urged everyone to be supportive during the crisis that the country is going through amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has cast serious doubts over the upcoming Olympic Games but the 18-year-old, a medal prospect at the quadrennial extravaganza, is currently not thinking about things that are beyond her control.
India's top shooter Manu Bhaker has said that she has been working on her mental strength and technique ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Manu Bhaker has won a plethora of medals in top international competitions since starting out as a 16-year-old in the ISSF World Cup in Mexico in 2018.
Top News
Latest News
