Paris Olympics’ double bronze-medallist Manu Bhaker named BBC Sportswoman of the Year

Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2024 after winning a global public vote on Monday, February 17.

On August 4 last year, Bhaker created history by taking home bronze in the women's 10m air pistol competition at the Paris Olympics 2024. This achievement ended the nation's 12-year shooting medal drought and became the first Olympic shooting medal for an Indian woman.

As the first Indian athlete after independence to win several medals at a single Olympic Games, her outstanding accomplishments at the Paris Olympics solidified her place among the country's best athletes.

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The prestigious BBC Sportswoman of the Year award saw Bhaker competing against strong contenders, including golfer Aditi Ashok, para shooter Avani Lekhara, India women's cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat, all of whom have made significant contributions to Indian sports on the world stage.

In her acceptance speech, Manu reflected on her journey and expressed her gratitude for the recognition: "I thank BBC for honouring me. A few years ago, I won the Emerging Player award and now this year I got the big one. My journey was full of ups and downs."

She added, "After Tokyo I struggled a lot, lost many events but journey didn't end, it continued. You can only write your own story and I did that in Paris. Now the journey will continue, and I would like to change the colour of the medal in Los Angeles (2028 Olympics)."

Other notable awardees of the evening included para archer Sheetal Devi, who won the BBC Emerging Player of the Year award, former India women's cricket captain Mithali Raj, who received the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, and para shooter Avani Lekhara, named BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year. Chess player Tania Sachdev was also honoured with the BBC Changemaker Award.