Star Indian pistol shooter Manu Bhaker was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year on Monday, following her outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics. Manu was among five nominees for the award, alongside golfer Aditi Ashok, para shooter Avani Lekhara, India women’s cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat — each recognised for their exceptional contributions to Indian sport. The nominees were shortlisted by an eminent jury of sports journalists and writers.

Now in its fifth edition, the ISWOTY Award celebrates and honours remarkable achievements of women athletes in India.

Manu, 22, won the award for winning two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian athlete since Independence to win multiple medals at a single Games.

She secured bronze in the 10m air pistol individual event as well as the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

In 2018, Manu made history as the youngest Indian shooter to win a World Cup gold at just 16.

A recipient of the Arjuna Award, she previously won BBC’s Emerging Player of the Year award in 2021.

Other award winners on the night included para archer Sheetal Devi (BBC Emerging Player of the Year), former India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj (BBC Lifetime Achievement Award), and para shooter Avani (BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year).

Chess player Tania Sachdev was conferred with the BBC Changemaker Award.

Manu expressed gratitude for the recognition and reflected on her journey to Olympic success.

“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,” Manu said in her address.

“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).” 

Indian rifle shooter and Paralympics double gold medalist Avani Lekhara, IAS officer and para-badminton silver medalist Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, and boxer and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom interacted with the students as they appeared on the eighth edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme on Monday. “Consistency matters a lot. If you study daily with complete focus, you will be able to retain it. There are breathing exercises that help you maintain your heart rate and keep you calm,” Avani Lekhara said as quoted by DD. Further, the Paris Paralympics silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj encouraged the children to work hard in whichever field they are interested in.

“You should first ask yourself if you can achieve the top 5 per cent of whichever field you choose. Second thing, do you have the passion to pursue it? And if your heart says yes to it, then your parents will also agree to it,” Suhas said.

In the end, former boxing champion MC Mary Kom said that one should be strong if he/she wants to take up the challenges.

“If you want to take up challenges, you must be strong enough…I became a champion after facing many challenges. If I can do it, then why can’t you?” Mary Kom said.

The ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ episode was broadcast across platforms, including on the Prime Minister and PMO’s X profile and the PM’s YouTube Channel.

Since 2018, PM Modi has been hosting this annual event to interact with students, teachers, and parents, offering guidance on staying stress-free during exams. The event is organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

The first three editions of PPC were held in New Delhi in a town hall interactive format. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth edition was held online in the form of a program telecast on Doordarshan and all major TV channels.

The fifth, sixth and seventh editions of PPC were again held in town-hall format at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.

Suma Shirur, the Olympian and former chief coach of the Indian Shooting team was awarded with the Coach of the Year (Female) award by the Indian Sports Honours 2024, organized by the Cornerstone Sport, in a prestigious ceremony celebrating excellence in Indian sports. Shirur, the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic final, was celebrated for her instrumental role in guiding the Indian shooting team to success at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, as well as for her dedication to promoting gender parity in Indian sports.

The award ceremony brought together the nation’s leading athletes, coaches, and sports personalities, with Suma Shirur standing out for her relentless pursuit of excellence. Under her mentorship, India’s shooters claimed three Olympic medals, marking a resurgence in Indian shooting on the global stage. Notably, her mentorship helped Avani Lekhara secure her second Paralympics Gold in the Women’s 10m event, solidifying Shirur’s impact as a coach who develops athletes to achieve their full potential.

In accepting the award, Suma Shirur expressed her gratitude, emphasizing her commitment to fostering a culture of resilience and focus among Indian athletes, “This honor is not just mine but belongs to every athlete and team member who worked alongside me. Our journey was defined by dedication, and this award reinforces our shared goal of lifting Indian shooting to new heights.”

The Indian Sports Honours celebrates outstanding achievements in sports, honoring top athletes, coaches, and teams across 14 distinct categories. Its esteemed jury panel, led by Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, was key to this year’s selection. He was joined by sports icons P.T. Usha, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA); former World Number One shooter Anjali Bhagwat; and Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sports at Disney+ Star. Other jury members included 2008 Olympic Boxing Bronze medalist Vijender Singh, 2012 Wrestling Bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt, and former Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh.

Beyond her coaching success, Suma Shirur is a powerful advocate for gender parity and grassroots development in sports. Through her Lakshya Shooting Club, she has mentored over 200 national-level shooters, creating a nurturing environment where the next generation of Indian shooting stars can flourish. Her achievements continue to inspire young athletes, coaches, and sports enthusiasts nationwide.

Ace Indian shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on a second medal at the ongoing Paralympic Games and finished fifth after putting up a strong fight in the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Avani, paralysed waist-down owing to a car accident she suffered as an 11-year-old, shot a total of 420.6 across the three stages of kneeling, prone and standing in a world-class eight-woman field. Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop won the gold with a total of 456.5, Slovakian Veronika Vadovicova claimed silver with 456.1, and China’s Zhang shot 446.0 to bag the bronze.

Avani led the final briefly but slipped to sixth place at the end of the prone stage, which is not her strong area as it causes her problems owing to positioning.

The Indian ace was doing well in the standing stage, her strong suit, but then an unexpected 8.3 did not help her cause.

The SH1 class is designated for athletes with lower-limb impairment for competition in rifle shooting events. Here shooters are able hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position (in a wheelchair or chair).

Earlier in the day, Avani entered the final of the competition after finishing the qualification in seventh place. Avani shot a total of 1159 in the qualification.

The other Indian shooter in the event, Mona Agarwal, however, could not clear the qualification hurdle and ended in the 13th position. Mona aggregated 1147.

The top eight shooters from the qualification progressed to the finals.

In the final, Avani had 150.9 points at the end of the kneeling round and was placed second, with Chinese shooter Cuiping Zhang (151.5) leading the field going into prone.

However, things changed drastically for Avani in the prone where a few sub-10 scores, including a 9.2, brought her down to the sixth place.

Standing, no doubt, is her strong area but the gap with the leaders had widened too much by the time the final entered its last stage.

She shot a 10.6 to avoid being eliminated ahead of Iryna Shchetnik.

Avani, nonetheless, will return home after another excellent campaign during which she became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.

She claimed the top prize in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 shooting event, successfully defending the title she won in Tokyo three years ago with a new Games record score of 249.7 in the final. 

Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal© X (Twitter)

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Indian shooters Avani Lekhara finished 11th while Sidhartha Babu ended 28th and were unable to make the final of the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) event at the Paralympic Games on Sunday. In the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH2) qualification, Sriharsha Devaraddi Ramakrishna ended in 26th place with a total score of 630.2. In the Paralympics mixed event, both men and women compete on the line against each other. Coming off her historic gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, Avani could not replicate that form despite a strong start in what is not her pet event, and ended the competition with a total score of 632.8.

Sidhartha aggregated 628.3 across six series.

Avani’s sequence of scores read 105.7, 106.0, 104.1, 106.0, 104.8, 106.2, while Sidhartha had scores of 104.6, 103.8, 105.7, 104.9, 103.6, 105.7.

On Friday, Avani, the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals with her victory in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event, had defended her title with a world record score.

In SH1, athletes are able to hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position (in a wheelchair or chair).

Athletes classified in SH2 category are unable to hold their rifle independently, so they use a stand, but can aim by themselves and control the weapon when they shoot. Certain athletes may have an assistant to reload their gun.

Only the top eight from qualification progress to the final.

The 44-year-old Devaraddi scored 105.2 in Series 1, improved it to 105.7 in the next series. He followed that with a sequence of 105.4, a disappointing 104.3, 105.6 and 104.0.

Eleven years ago, an accident left him with limited control over his limbs.

Born in 1980 in Dharwad, Devaraddi currently resides in Hubballi with his wife, son, and parents. The accident took place when his bike overturned on a gravel road, resulting in a serious spinal cord injury and despite undergoing surgery, he lost control of both his hands and legs.

File image of Avani Lekhara© X (Twitter)

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