Manu Bhaker Falls Short of Olympic Quota at ISSF World Championship

Manu Bhaker narrowly missed qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after finishing fourth in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha. Despite her individual disappointment, she contributed to the Indian team's success, which clinched the gold medal alongside teammates Esha Singh and Divya TS. The competition saw Bhaker score 27 points in the final, while the team achieved a combined score of 1761-68x, securing India's ninth medal at the championships. Read on to discover more about the event and the performances of these talented shooters.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 10, 2026, 22:51 IST

Manu Bhaker Misses Olympic Quota Spot

In a close contest, India's Manu Bhaker finished fourth in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Championship 2026 held in Doha, missing out on a quota spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Despite her individual setback, Bhaker, along with teammates Esha Singh and Divya TS, secured the team gold medal. Bhaker, a two-time Olympic medalist, scored 27 points in the final, just shy of the podium. The gold medal was claimed by Yang Jiin from South Korea with a world-record score of 44, while Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh took silver with 43 points, and Zhang Yueyue from China earned bronze with 34 points, as reported by Olympics.com.

At the championship, the top three finishers in each of the 12 individual Olympic shooting events earn quota places for their nations for the upcoming LA 2028 Games, with a limit of two places per National Olympic Committee (NOC) in each event. Bhaker was eliminated just before the top three were finalized, while her compatriot Esha Singh finished eighth in the final with 11 points. Both shooters qualified for the eight-woman final, with Esha ranking third in qualification with a score of 590-25x and Bhaker sixth with 587-24x. Divya TS narrowly missed the final, finishing 10th with 584-19x.

Final Round Performance and Team Success

In the final round, both Indian shooters had a challenging start, with Bhaker hitting only two out of five shots in the first series, while Esha managed just one. However, Bhaker made a strong comeback, navigating through several shootouts to secure a top-four finish. After seven rounds, she was tied with Zhang at 24 points, but while Bhaker scored three hits in the eighth series, Zhang achieved a perfect score, ensuring her podium finish. Bhaker had also participated in the 10m air pistol event, where she finished fifth.

Although Bhaker missed out on an individual medal and an Olympic quota in the 25m pistol event, the Indian team excelled, clinching the gold medal. The trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju achieved a combined score of 1761-68x, surpassing South Korea, which scored 1748-66x, and Vietnam, which secured bronze with 1745-54x. Esha led the Indian team with a score of 590-25x, followed by Bhaker with 587-24x and Divya with 584-19x. This victory brought India's total medal count at the Doha championships to nine, including two gold, five silver, and two bronze medals.