Manu Bhaker Falls Short of Olympic Quota but India Wins Team Gold at ISSF World Championship

Manu Bhaker's Performance at ISSF World Championship

Doha (Qatar), November 10: Indian shooter Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on a quota spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing fourth in the women's 25m pistol event during the ISSF World Championship 2026 held in Doha on Tuesday. However, she, along with teammates Esha Singh and Divya TS, secured the gold medal in the team event.

Bhaker, a two-time Olympic medalist, scored 27 points in the individual final, just shy of the podium. The gold medal was claimed by Yang Jiin from South Korea, who set a world record with a score of 44. Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh took home the silver with 43 points, while Zhang Yueyue from China earned the bronze with a score of 34, as reported by Olympics.com.

At the championships, the top three finishers in each of the 12 individual Olympic shooting events earn quota places for their nations for the LA 2028 Games, with a maximum of two spots allocated per National Olympic Committee (NOC) in each event.

Bhaker was eliminated just before the top three were determined, while her fellow Indian shooter Esha Singh finished eighth in the final with 11 points. Both athletes qualified for the 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.

Both shooters had a slow start in the final, with Bhaker hitting only two out of five shots in the opening series, while Esha managed just one. Nevertheless, Bhaker made a strong recovery, navigating through multiple shootouts to secure a top-four finish.

Tied with Zhang at 24 points after seven rounds, Bhaker managed three hits in the eighth series, while the Chinese competitor achieved a perfect score to clinch her podium position. Bhaker had also participated in the 10m air pistol event, where she finished fifth.

Despite not securing an individual medal or an Olympic quota in the 25m pistol event, the Indian trio excelled in the team competition. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju combined for a total score of 1761-68x, surpassing South Korea, which scored 1748-66x, and Vietnam, which took 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 team gold medal increased India's overall medal tally at the Doha championships to nine, which includes two gold, five silver, and two bronze medals.