National Shooting Trials: Ace shooter Manu Bhaker clinches gold in both senior and junior T2 25m pistol events

What's the story?

India's young shooting sensation Manu Bhaker won two gold medals - one each in Junior 25m Pistol and Women's 25m Pistol T2 Trials - at the National Shooting trials for pistol and rifle disciplines being conducted at the National Games shooting range in Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram.

The background

At the 2017 National Games in Kerala, Bhaker had defeated the likes of Heena Sidhu and won a total of nine gold medals.

Manu Bhaker gained further recognition when she bagged two gold medals at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in 2018 in Guadalajara, México. The Jhajjar-born shooter became the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the prestigious event.

The young shooter went on to win a gold in 10 m air pistol at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Bhaker also won four gold medals in the 10 m air pistol mixed team event along with Saurabh Chaudhary at the 2019 ISSF World Cup. The first one came in February 2019 in New Delhi, the second one in April 2019 in Beijing, the third one in May 2019 in Munich, and the fourth one in Rio de Janeiro in September 2019.

The supremely hard-working shooter also partnered with Russia's Artem Chernousov to win the 2019 ISSF World Cup 10m air pistol mixed team gold in Putian, China in November 2019.

The 17-year-old is a student of Political Science at the prestigious Lady Shriram College of Delhi University and secured a place through the sports quota. Bhaker has already secured a berth for Tokyo Olympics 2020 and will be one of India's best medal hopes in the sport.

The heart of the matter

The teen sensation has added another feather to her cap by winning the double gold medals at the National Shooting Trials.

The Commonwealth Games champion had earlier shot 584 and topped the qualifications in both the categories.

In the Women's 25m Pistol competition, she bagged the top honours after finishing with a score of 32 in the final round. Maharashtra's Abhidnya Ashok Patil shot 28 and won the silver medal while 22-year-old Gauri Sheoran settled for the bronze medal with a score of 24.

Meanwhile, in the Junior 25m Pistol final, Manu Bhaker claimed the gold medal with a score of 30. Rhythm Sangwan won silver with a score of 27 while Vibhuti Bhatia, who shot 25, settled for the bronze medal. All three of these shooters hail from Haryana making it a 1-2-3 finish for the state.

What's next?

If Manu Bhaker continues to win gold medals which stands in good stead heading to Tokyo Olympics 2020.

---