Paris Olympics 2024 || Manu Bakar & Sarabjot Singh won Bronze || History of Olympics Shooting Medals

Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh shone bright on Day 4 of medal events at the Paris Olympics 2024 as they clinched the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team shooting event. The duo defeated South Korea. Bhaker became the first athlete in the history of independent India to win two medals in a single Olympics edition.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore - Silver medal at Athens 2004 Olympics in men’s double trap
Army man Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore made headlines in 2004 when he became the first Indian to win an Olympics individual silver medal post-independence.

The shotgun shooter from Jaipur had already made a name for himself heading into the Athens Games, having won the gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and followed it with a bronze at the 2003 World Championships.

In Athens, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore did not have the best of starts in the double-trap event, finishing the qualifier in the fifth position. However, he was able to make the final cut since he was in the top six led by the UAE’s Ahmed Al Maktoum.

In the final, Ahmed Al Maktoum maintained his lead to clinch the gold medal with ease but there was a tough competition for second place.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore overcame a stiff challenge from China’s Wang Zheng to clinch the silver medal and etched his name in the history books.

Abhinav Bindra - Gold medal at Beijing 2008 Olympics in men’s 10m air rifle
The Dehradun-born Abhinav had set an Olympic record in the qualification round at the Athens Olympics but could not sustain his form in the final.

Four years later, Abhinav Bindra was all set to take another shot at glory.

The Indian shooter finished fourth in the qualifying round but blazed through in the final to tie with Henri Hakkinen from Finland with one shot remaining.

In the final attempt, Abhinav Bindra shot an almost-perfect 10.8 to bag the gold medal as Hakkinen managed only 9.7. It was India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold and remained the only one till Neeraj Chopra joined the exclusive club at Tokyo 2020.

Gagan Narang - Bronze medal at London 2012 Olympics in men’s 10m air rifle
India enjoyed immense success at the London Games and the shooting contingent, including Gagan Narang, was a big reason for it.
After a disappointing outing at the Beijing Olympics, Gagan Narang gave a fine performance in London to sail into the final while defending champion Abhinav Bindra exited in the qualification round.

In the final at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Gagan Narang continued his splendid run by consistently shooting in the 10s and ended with 701.1 to claim the bronze medal - India’s first medal at the London Olympics.

Vijay Kumar - Silver medal at London 2012 Olympics in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol

Eight years after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver medal in Athens, another army man Vijay Kumar claimed India’s second silver in shooting. This time in a rifle event.

A Subedar in the Indian army, Vijay Kumar headed to London as the Commonwealth Games champion and qualified for the final rounds in fourth position.

Since the new shooting rules did not carry the qualification scores in the final, Vijay Kumar had the opportunity to start afresh and advance.

As other shooters kept dropping out in the eliminations, Vijay Kumar shot brilliantly to move ahead till the final two remained. However, Cuba's Leuris Pupo had already taken a comfortable lead heading into the final shot and the Indian rifle shooter ended in second place for a silver.

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