Asian Games must feel different to Manu Bhaker. After all, it was at this stage five years back when Bhaker, then 16 and having broken through as a teen prodigy, tasted her first real failure.
At the Jakabaring Shooting Range in Palembang in 2018, Bhaker finished sixth in 25m pistol final and fifth in the 10m air pistol decider. Six years on, she has her shot — literal and proverbial — at redemption.
Bhaker topped the precision stage of the 25m pistol qualifying round on Tuesday, shooting 294 out of a maximum of 300 across three series of 10 shots each. On Wednesday, three more qualifying series in the rapid stage await following which the final line-up will be decided.
She shot well in the women’s team qualifier (precision) too where the trio of Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Rhythm Sangwan scored 876, two points ahead of China and eight ahead of third-placed Chinese Taipei.