ISSF Munich World Cup | Manu Bhaker misses out on bronze medal but seals Olympic berth
Indian pistol shooter Manu Bhaker finished fourth in the ISSF World Cup in Munich, failing to win a medal by a mere 0.1 point margin but secured a spot in the 10m category in the 2020 World Cup. The 17-year old finished behind Anna Korakaki, Wei Qian, and Minjung Kim in the season’s third World Cup.
Having finished third in the qualifying round earlier with a score of 582 points, Bhaker put up a strong display but in the end failed to finish on the podium by a mere whisker. Having missed the chance to seal a place in the 25m category due to a weapon malfunction earlier, this will be her first senior Olympic appearance.
Bhaker ultimately finished with 201 points, with Kim from Korea edging her by ending with 201.1. The top two quota spots were clinched by Greece’s Korakaki, who took the gold medal, and China’s Qian who had to settle with the silver medal.
Qualification means Bhaker is the first Indian woman to clinch an Olympic quota in her category. Apart from her, two males already earned their spots earlier in the season, whereas Rahi Sarnobat won her spot by finishing top in the 25m category in Munich. Bhaker’s quota place makes it a grand total of seven shooting spots so far at the Tokyo Olympics.
