Doha, Qatar: Indian shooting star Manu Bhaker narrowly missed securing a spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing fourth in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha. Despite her individual performance, Bhaker, alongside Esha Singh and Divya TS, brought home a gold medal for India in the team event.

In the individual final, the two-time Olympic medalist scored 27 points, placing just outside the medal positions. South Korea's Yang Jiin clinched gold with a world-record score of 44, while Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh took silver with 43. China's Zhang Yueyue secured bronze with 34 points. The top three finishers in each Olympic shooting event at the championships earn a quota place for their country at LA 2028. Bhaker was eliminated just before the top three were decided, while Esha Singh finished eighth.

Both Bhaker and Esha had qualified for the eight-woman final, with Esha securing third place in qualification and Bhaker sixth. Divya TS, unfortunately, missed the individual final, finishing tenth. While the Indian shooters had a slow start in the final, Bhaker showed strong recovery, surviving multiple shootouts to reach the top four. She was tied with Zhang at 24 points after seven rounds but missed out on a podium finish when the Chinese shooter registered a perfect score in the eighth series.

Despite the individual setback, the Indian trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju shone in the team event. They collectively scored 1761-68x, surpassing South Korea (1748-66x) and Vietnam (1745-54x) to claim the gold medal. This team gold boosted India's overall medal tally at the Doha championships to nine, including two gold, five silver, and two bronze medals, highlighting the nation's growing prowess in international shooting sports.

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