India’s Manu Bhaker, who has already won two bronze medals at Paris 2024, looks well-placed to challenge for another medal after finishing second in qualification for tomorrow’s 25m pistol final behind Hungary’s Veronika Major, (pictured), who equalled the Olympic record of 592 set by China’s Zhang Jingjing at the Rio 2016 Games.
Bhaker, 22, became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal when she and Sarabjot Singh finished third in the 10m air pistol mixed team event and she added a second in the 10m air rifle women.
Meanwhile the Republic of Korea’s Kim Yeji, who raised the world record to 42 at the Baku World Cup in May, failed to earn one of the eight final places, finishing in a disappointing 27th place after scoring zero for a shot that was not taken within the official allowable time.
But her 21-year-old team-mate Yang Jiin, whose world record of 41 Kim bettered – and which now stands only as a world junior record – advanced in sixth place with a score of 586.
China’s 20-year-old World Cup Final silver medallist Zhao Nan also advanced with 586.
The other four places went to Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan, who scored 588, Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh, home athlete Camille Jedrzejewski, who totalled 585, and Katelyn Abeln of the United States, who secured eighth place with a score of 585.
Germany’s world champion and 2023 ISSF Female Athlete of the Year Doreen Vennekamp missed qualification by five places, while Bhaker’s team-mate Esha Singh finished 18th
Kishmala Talat, 22, who became the first female athlete from Pakistan to earn an Olympic quota place, finished in 22nd place.
Vincent Hancock of the United States, seeking to earn a fourth Olympic skeet men title at Paris 2024 following his victories at the Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Games, made the ideal start today as he hit all 75 of his targets on the opening day of qualification for tomorrow’s final.