Manu in line for third medal

Rohit Mahajan
Tribune News Service
Paris, August 2
Manu Bhaker, the Bhagwad Gita-quoting 22-year-old from Haryana, yet again made history — two bronze medals already in her bag, she became the first Indian shooter to qualify for three finals, today ending up second in the 25m pistol qualification.
Manu is in line to win her third Olympics medal — if her manner, poise, composure are any indication, she could well achieve a hat-trick tomorrow. Her form is excellent, the confidence sky-high.
Abhinav Bindra, gold medallist at Beijing 2008, did reach three finals in the quadrennial event, but his achievements were spread over three Olympic Games.
Soon after winning her second medal, Manu had asked her countrymen not to be disappointed if she failed to make it three in three; but if she was under any pressure, she showed no signs of it at the Chateauroux shooting range during qualification today, remaining among the top-three for the most part.
With 590 points, Manu finished second in qualification, just two behind Hungary’s Veronika Major, who equalled the Olympics record with 592.
Manu scored 294 in the precision round, out of a maximum possible of 300, with scores of 97, 98 and 99; in the rapid round, Manu shot a perfect 100 to begin with, and followed it up with two 98s.
The young Esha Singh, who became a national champion at age 12 six years ago, was left close to tears after an underwhelming show today — 581 points in aggregate, 291 in the precision round, 290 in the rapid round. The teenager ended up 18th, with the top eight qualifying for the final.
Manu has already made history, and her form makes her a serious contender for another medal. In the 25m sports pistol event, the target is 2.5 times farther, of course; it’s also a tougher test of the shooter’s skills, for in this both precision and speed are tested. The bigger difference is in the final, in which a hit-or-miss system is used, instead of the points-based system — only a shot worth 10.2 or more counts in the final.
Manu’s most memorable wins have come in the 10m air pistol event, and the 25m sports pistol medals she’s won at the World Championships have come in team events, not in individual ones.
India’s three medals at Paris have been won at the shooting ranges of Chateauroux, Swapnil Kusale winning the bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event on Thursday. Manu can make it four tomorrow.