Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker said she had mixed feelings about her bronze medal-winning performance in the 25m pistol event at the recently concluded World Cup in Hangzhou, admitting that she believed she could have performed better.
Bhaker was beaten by fellow Indian shooter Esha Singh, who won the gold medal in the event. The result gave India a double podium finish.
The 24-year-old shooter is still seeking her first individual gold medal of 2026. Her other notable result this year came at the Munich World Cup, where she won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event alongside Samrat Rana.
Bhaker had also topped the podium at the Asian Championships in Delhi earlier this year. However, both her gold medals in 2026 have come in team events.
“Another bronze. I have mixed feelings about this one. I am happy that I was able to improve my performance, but at the same time, I know I could have done better,” Bhaker wrote on X.
She added that seeing her hard work produce results was encouraging, while acknowledging that there was still scope for improvement.
“What makes me happy is seeing that the hard work is showing. There's still plenty of room for improvement, and that's what keeps me motivated. One step at a time,” she said.
Bhaker is now preparing for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where she has been selected to compete in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events.
Her preparations for the Hangzhou World Cup came during a difficult period following the death of her mentor and long-serving national coach, Jaspal Rana. Rana died in June at the age of 49 due to heart-related complications.
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, Bhaker played a key role in India's women's team winning gold in the 25m pistol event.
Bhaker is also the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games.