Manu Bhaker came within one shot of an Olympic quota place on Tuesday, finishing fourth in the women’s 25m pistol final at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha. The two-time Olympic medallist scored 27 hits in a tense final at the Lusail Shooting Complex, and was eliminated just before the medals were decided. Yet the evening did not end in disappointment for India. Hours later, Bhaker joined Esha Singh and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju to win the women’s 25m pistol team gold, India’s second gold of the championship.
It was a day of fine margins. The top three finishers in each of the 12 individual Olympic shooting events at the Doha championships earn quota places for their countries for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Bhaker needed a podium finish to book one. She survived three shoot-offs along the way, staying alive deep into the final, but the podium stayed just out of reach.
Fourth by a whisker in a world-record final
The final was won in some style. Yang Jiin of South Korea took gold with a world-record score of 44, ahead of Trinh Thu Vinh of Vietnam, who shot 43 for silver. Zhang Yueyue of China claimed bronze with 34. Bhaker, with 27 hits, was the last shooter eliminated before the top three were settled.
Compatriot Esha Singh, the other Indian in the eight-shooter final, finished eighth with 11 hits. Esha had actually led the Indian challenge in qualification, topping the team charts with 590-25x. Bhaker qualified sixth with 587-24x, while Divya finished 10th with 584-19x.
Bhaker’s route to the final had already demanded a fightback. She shot 289 in the precision stage before bouncing back with 99, 99 and 100 in the rapid-fire stage to reach 587. In the final itself, she kept herself in contention through three consecutive shoot-offs before the run finally ended in fourth place.
Team gold softens the blow
If the individual final brought heartbreak, the team event brought a medal to take home. The Indian trio combined for 1761-68x to win the women’s 25m pistol team gold, finishing ahead of South Korea on 1748-66x and Vietnam on 1745-54x.
Esha led the scoring with 590-25x, Bhaker added 587-24x and Divya contributed 584-19x. It was India’s second gold medal at the Doha championships, and it took the country’s overall tally at the event to nine medals: two gold, five silver and two bronze.
What the quota miss means
The fourth-place finish means Bhaker leaves Doha without an individual quota place in either of her two pistol events. She had already finished fifth in the women’s 10m air pistol final last week, missing the podium there too, though India won the team silver in that event.
It is worth remembering what a quota place actually is. Quotas belong to the country, not the individual shooter, so India can still fill the 25m pistol slots through other shooters at later qualification events. Bhaker herself remains very much in the frame for selection when those places are eventually filled.
India’s Doha campaign so far
The championships have been a mixed bag for India. The medal tally of nine, with two golds, shows a squad competing across events, but the individual quota count tells a harder story. In the Olympic disciplines, only Jaypal Malviya, who won silver in the men’s 10m air pistol final, has secured a quota place so far.
For Bhaker, a double bronze medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 25m pistol has long been one of her strongest events, and the qualification score of 587 showed her game is in good shape. The final is a different test, a rapid-fire elimination where a single missed series can end a campaign, and on Tuesday the margins simply went the other way.
FAQs
Where did Manu Bhaker finish in the women’s 25m pistol final?
She finished fourth with 27 hits at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha on Tuesday, November 10, narrowly missing the podium and an LA 2028 Olympic quota place.
Who won the women’s 25m pistol gold?
Yang Jiin of South Korea won gold with a world-record score of 44. Trinh Thu Vinh of Vietnam took silver with 43, and Zhang Yueyue of China won bronze with 34.
Did India win a medal in the women’s 25m pistol team event?
Yes. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju combined for 1761-68x to win team gold, ahead of South Korea and Vietnam.
Has Manu Bhaker secured an LA 2028 quota place yet?
No. She missed out in both the 10m air pistol, where she finished fifth, and the 25m pistol, where she finished fourth. India can still earn quota places at later qualification events.
How many medals has India won at the ISSF World Championship 2026?
Nine medals so far: two gold, five silver and two bronze, with Jaypal Malviya’s men’s 10m air pistol silver bringing India’s first LA 2028 quota place.
Doha gave Manu Bhaker a team gold and two painful near misses. The quota hunt moves on, and so does she.
