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How two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker missed out on glory at Munich World Cup
India's shooting star Manu Bhaker had a tough day at the ISSF World Cup in Munich as she fell short of winning a medal in the women's 25m pistol event. Despite reaching the final, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist couldn't make it to the podium and finished sixth.
Bhaker misses podium despite strong qualification round
Bhaker had a strong qualification round, scoring 290 in the 'precision' and a 298 in the 'rapid fire' stage, giving her a total of 588 and placing her fifth going into the final. However, the medal round didn't go her way as she was eliminated in the third stage with just 20 points.
China's Sun Yujie won the gold medal with a final score of 38. South Korea's Oh Yejin took silver with 36 points, and her compatriot Yang Jiin claimed bronze medal with 32 points.
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It wasn't just Bhaker who missed out. In the men's 50m rifle 3-position event, seasoned shooter Chain Singh also made it to the final but could not bring home a medal. He had a good qualification round, where he scored a total of 592, placing him sixth.
However, Chain Singh couldn't keep up with the pressure in the finals and was the second shooter to be eliminated, finishing in seventh place. Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg won gold with 464.1 points, Ilia Marsov took silver with 462, and Jiri Privratsky from the Czech Republic grabbed bronze with 452.
India eye redemption in upcoming events
On Thursday, Olympians Arjun Babuta and Sandeep Singh will be up against Paris Games gold medallist Sheng Lihao when the men's 10m air pistol event begins. Babuta has made it to four consecutive finals since the Paris Olympics last year where he finished fourth, and the Indian's rivalry against Sheng will be keenly followed.
The Chinese started the 2025 season with a gold at the Lima World Cup, where Babuta finished just 0.1 point behind to settle for silver. Sandeep Singh, who won the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze with Bhaker at the Paris Games, has also made his way back into the team.
In women's 50m rifle 3-Position, all three Indians are in good form, with Sift Kaur Samra winning gold in the World Cup in Argentina, while Shriyanka Sadangi made it to the finals in the World Cup in Lima. The third Indian, Ashi Chouksey, too shot well in Lima but missed the cut by a close margin.
(With agency inputs)
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