Star shooter Manu Bhaker was unable to add to India’s superb start at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi after finishing outside the medal spots in the Women’s 25 metre Rapid Fire Pistol final on Sunday, 24 February.
The teen sensation, who shot into the spotlight with gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympic Games last year, fell to a fifth-place finish as a disappointing return of two shots in her seventh sequence of five ended her bid to become India’s third medallist in the opening two days of action in the capital.
Apurvi Chandela had provided the perfect start to the hosts by winning the Women’s 10 metre Air Rifle on Saturday, 23 February, before 16-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary delivered the Men’s 10 metre Air Pistol gold earlier on Sunday – both breaking world records in the process.
One Blip Costs Manu Dearly
Having turned 17 last week, Bhaker entered the competition with twin hopes of a medal, or even an Olympic quota – she will also compete in the 10 metre Pistol event on Tuesday, 26 February – on the back of a scintillating debut year in 2018.
Manu Bhaker in 2018: Highlights
- Gold medallist, 10m Air Pistol, ISSF World Cup Guadalajara
- Gold medallist, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, ISSF World Cup Guadalajara
- Gold medallist, 10m Air Pistol, Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast
- Gold medallist, 10m Air Pistol, Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires
- Youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the World Cup
- Broke the CWG record en route her gold medal at Gold Coast (shot 240.9)
In front of a boisterous home crowd in Delhi, she started slowly, registering only five hits out of 10 in her opening two rounds. But from seventh in the eight-woman final, Bhaker shot straight up to second with a 100 percent five out of five in her third sequence – and kept pace with the medal spots with consistent scores in the next three rounds.
The teenager made the top-five in second place, with her total at the time of 20 only behind eventual champion Veronika Major of Hungary.
The next sequence, however, would prove catastrophic to her hopes – Bhaker only landed two of her five targets to drop all the way to fifth, as China’s Jingjing Zhang, Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Germany’s Monika Karsch all shot four out of five to eliminate the youngest competitor in the field.
Next Target: 10m Air Pistol, Tuesday
Despite defeat, Bhaker is far from done as far as her campaign at the New Delhi World Cup in concerned; the 10 metre Air Pistol where she shoots on Tuesday, in fact, is her strongest suit – amply clear through her accomplishments listed above.
In her nascent career, the Jhajjar-hailing shooter has shown herself to be a world-beater in the 10 metre category, although she did hold a junior world record in the 25 metre event too from the 2018 Asian Games qualifying rounds.
Bhaker, who was visibly distraught after her failure to land a medal at the Asiad, should take heart, however, from a credible showing in a final field which had four former World Cup winners in the category.
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