Manu Bhaker was on course to make more Olympic history as she put herself in contention for an unprecedented second medal on a day when the men’s hockey team managed an underwhelming draw, a fourth-place finish broke Indian hearts at the shooting range and the pampered archers simply capitulated.
For a second day running, Bhaker was the star of the India show as she combined with Sarabjot Singh to make the bronze medal match of the 10m air pistol mixed team competition at Chateauroux’s shooting range.
The two will be up against the Korean combination of Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho, who shot 579, in the bronze-medal match. Should they triumph, Bhaker will become the first Indian to win more than one medal in a single edition of the Games.
In another superlative performance, Manika Batra created history by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to reach singles pre-quarterfinals at the Olympic Games with a fluent 4-0 win over world number 18 and home favourite Prithika Pavade.