The sensational <keyword id="20241095" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manu-Bhaker" source="keywords">Manu Bhaker</keyword>'s dream of a grand treble went up in smoke after she lost the tie-shoot for <keyword id="20257145" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bronze-medal" source="keywords">bronze medal</keyword> to Hungarian shooter <keyword id="22650177" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Veronika-Major" source="keywords">Veronika Major</keyword> by the narrowest of margins in the women's 25m <keyword id="22654167" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sports-pistol" source="keywords">sports pistol</keyword> event at the Olympic Games on Saturday. In a high-quality final, Bhaker gave it her all and was placed No.1 among eight shooters for a brief period, but she could not maintain her consistency and eventually finished. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old will return home with her twin bronze-medal feat in women's 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol, where she partnered with Sarabjot Singh. The affable Indian shot 28 in the final, to be tied at third place along with Veronika after the eighth series of five shots. The Indian missed two of the five shots to aggregate three points, while Veronika drilled in four bullets into the target to clinch the third spot, leaving Bhaker to pack up her kit and leave her firing station. Expectations were really high from Bhaker to bring home a hat-trick of medals given her awe-inspiring form. She stood up to the challenge even after slipping to sixth position early in the final. The first series was a disaster in which Bhaker missed three out of five targets, but gradually she cut down on the errors and bounced back in the second and third series, shooing two consecutive 'fours' to take her points tally to 10 going into the elimination round. The elimination round was topsy-turvy to say the least. Bhaker's chances waxed and waned until she took the top spot for a brief period in the seventh series (fourth elimination round). However, South Korea's <keyword id="22654169" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jin-yang" source="keywords">Jin Yang</keyword> wrested back the top spot immediately, even as Bhaker slipped in ranks with three misses in the eighth round, which saw her slump from second spot to joint third with Veronika, on 28 points. The <keyword id="22618045" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shoot-off" source="keywords">shoot-off</keyword> was nerve-jangling for both the markswomen, and Bhaker had three clear shots out of five on target, while Veronika had four. Bhaker's finish just outside the medal bracket once again brought to the fore the saga of fourth-place finishes for Indian shooters in the quadrennial showpiece. She joined the likes of <keyword id="22654168" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="joydeep-karmakar" source="keywords">Joydeep Karmakar</keyword> (men's 50m rifle prone, 2012 London), Abhinav Bindra (men's 10m air rifle, 2016 Rio) and Arjun Babuta (10m air rifle, 2024 Paris Olympics). Post event, Bhaker admitted she was a bit nervous during the 25m sports pistol final, where she finished fourth. "I got like really nervous about it, but again, I was trying my best to keep calm and to just try to do my best. But that was not enough," Manu said after the event. "It (Olympics) turned out to be very good for me, but well, there's always a next time so I'm already looking forward to the next one," she said. "I'm glad that I got two medals, but right now, I'm not very... well, fourth place is not a very good place," said Manu with tears in her eyes. Manu said she wasn't distracted by all the expectations around her and had completely switched off. "Honestly, I've been off the social media and I have not been checking my phone, so I don't know what's going on. But I just know that I was trying my best and I was trying to deliver a good performance," she said. "In most of the events I was able to (give a good performance), and in this one, I was not able to do as good. The moment my match was over, I was like, 'okay, the next time'," said Manu, already setting her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "There has been a lot of hard work going on backstage. Like I'm here -- what you see -- but like so many people have been working hard so that I can make it to the podium and so that India can win a medal," she said. "I am so happy that my entire team was there for me to support me throughout my journey," Manu added.

Heartbreak for Manu Bhaker as she misses out on grand treble at Paris Olympics

Online accommodation hosting platform <keyword id="19900375" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airbnb" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Airbnb" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Airbnb">Airbnb</keyword> on Friday said it has witnessed a 30% rise in bookings from Indian guests for the <keyword id="22385954" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Olympic-Games-Paris-2024" source="keywords">Olympic Games Paris 2024</keyword>. Beyond <keyword id="19916613" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paris" source="keywords">Paris</keyword>, Indian travellers are also exploring other locations in <keyword id="19899242" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="France" source="keywords">France</keyword> such as Nice, Aubervilliers, Colombes, and Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Airbnb said in a statement, citing data for bookings made by Indian guests between January 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, for stays in and around the host cities during the period of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. These areas, including key Olympic venues like Colombes (field hockey) and Chateauroux (shooting events), along with cities hosting <keyword id="64" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="football" source="Orion">football</keyword> matches like Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, and <keyword id="65651" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bordeaux" source="Orion">Bordeaux</keyword>, are experiencing significant interest, it added. Airbnb said travellers from over 160 countries and regions have already booked their stays on its platform during the sporting event. The <keyword id="4833237" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paris-Olympics" source="Orion">Paris Olympics</keyword> will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. As of March 31, 2024, nights booked during the dates of the Olympics are over five times higher than they were in the Paris region the same time a year ago, it added. Paris remains the top-searched city on the platform, with a nearly 40% increase in active listings in the region, ensuring ample availability for guests. In terms of growth in bookings, Asian countries are on the leaderboard, Airbnb said, adding that it has witnessed the highest increase in travellers coming from India, Mainland China, <keyword id="24349" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hong-Kong" source="Orion">Hong Kong</keyword> (SAR) and Japan. India alone witnessed an approximately 30% increase in booking of stays in and around Paris during the games, Airbnb said. "The surge in bookings for Paris reflects an exciting trend among Indian travellers, who are increasingly planning trips around iconic sporting events like the Olympics, showcasing their growing appetite for unique, global experiences," Airbnb General Manager for India, <keyword id="19952305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="southeast-asia" source="keywords">Southeast Asia</keyword>, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Amanpreet Bajaj said. He further said, "Interestingly, while Paris remains a top destination, these travellers are also venturing beyond traditional tourist spots to explore cities like Saint-Denis and Bordeaux to catch their favourite sports."

Airbnb says 30% rise in bookings from Indian guests for Olympic Games Paris 2024

A squad full of debutants, free from past baggage will aim to ace the ultimate test of their lives when the shooting competition of the <keyword id="4833237" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paris-Olympics" source="Orion">Paris Olympics</keyword> begins in the sleepy French town of Chateauroux on Friday. <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> has won four Olympic medals in shooting out of its overall tally of 35 but none in the last two editions of the Summer Games, putting the additional pressure of expectations on the record 21-member Indian contingent based in central France. The national shooting federation, National Rifle Association of India (<keyword id="19910689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NRAI" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NRAI" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NRAI">NRAI</keyword>), chose current form over pedigree to pick the squad for the mega event and it will be hoping they hit the bullseye at the <keyword id="22557904" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Shooting-Centre" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="National Shooting Centre" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="National Shooting Centre">National Shooting Centre</keyword> here. Even the quota winners were made to battle out in the trials with the inexperienced Sandeep Singh pipping 2022 world champion Rudranksh Patil, who had secured India's quota in the 10m air rifle. Patil wrote to NRAI proposing his selection in the team despite finishing behind Sandeep in the trials, but the federation stuck to its guns. The athletes have been training away from the hustle and bustle of <keyword id="19916613" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paris" source="keywords">Paris</keyword> and that could work in their favour come competition day. Barring <keyword id="20241095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manu-bhaker" source="keywords">Manu Bhaker</keyword>, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anjum Moudgil and Elavenil Valarivan, all will experience the biggest sporting stage for the first time. India will have representation in all 15 shooting events. It is not just peak performance on the day that matters in the Olympics, luck too plays a major part. The 22-year-old Bhaker, who has won a bagful of medals in world events, had a stroke of bad luck at the Tokyo Games where her weapon malfunctioned in 10m <keyword id="20105950" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-pistol" source="keywords">air pistol</keyword> qualification and she could not recover from that setback. She will be taking part in three disciplines - 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 10m pistol mixed team. India's main challenge will come from China who are also fielding 21 shooters across disciplines. Another women shooter to watch out for will be Sift Kaur Samra, who won the 50m rifle three positions gold at the Asian Games. Moudgil, one of the seasoned pros in the squad, is making a comeback and will lineup alongside Sift in the women's 50m rifle three positions. Twenty-year-old Rhythm Sangwan will be participating in two events, women's 10m air pistol alongside Bhaker and the 10m air pistol mixed team. "The preparation has been going good. The range is beautiful. I was a little upset staying away from main village in Paris. It is not as I expected but I am here for the competition and win and not pass any comments on the Games Village. Olympics is the biggest stage out here," said Sangwan. Among the male participants, only Tomar has been part of the Olympics before. Tomar, member of the gold winning team at the 2023 World Championships, will be seen in the men's 50m rifle three positions alongside Swapnil Kusale. The male debutants who have a decent international experience include Anish Bhanwala, Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Babuta, Arjun Singh Cheema and Vijayveer Singh. Gagan Narang, the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist who is here as India's chef de mission, is backing the shooters to end the <keyword id="22557903" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="medal-drought" source="keywords">medal drought</keyword> in this edition. "My first Olympic experience was in 2004 and I remember at that time, we were not as confident as we are today. There is genuine belief that we are at par with the best in the world," said Narang. The biggest test of the shooters' lives awaits. Full squad Rifle: Men's 10m air rifle: Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta Women's 10m air rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita Jindal Women's 50m rifle 3 positions: Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil Men's 50m rifle 3 positions: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale 10m air rifle mixed team: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal Pistol: Men's 10m air pistol: Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema Women's 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan Men's 25m rapid fire pistol: Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu Women's 25m pistol: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh 10m air pistol mixed team: Sarabjot Singh/Manu Bhaker, Arjun Singh Cheema/Rhythm Sangwan Shotgun: Men's trap: Prithviraj Tondaiman Women's trap: Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh Men's skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka Women's skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan.

You Searched For "Olympics Chateauroux" and got 3 results

Heartbreak for Manu Bhaker as she misses out on grand treble at Paris Olympics

PTI

Airbnb says 30% rise in bookings from Indian guests for Olympic Games Paris 2024

PTI

Record shooting contingent out to end India's 12-year medal drought

PTI