Star Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker locks Rs 1.5 crore deal with Coca-Cola

Following the Paris Olympics victory, Manu Bhaker's endorsement fee has surged six times, from the previous Rs 25 lakh to approximately Rs 1.5 crore now

Olympics bronze medallist shooter Manu Bhaker has signed a Rs 1.5 crore deal with beverage maker Coca-Cola for a one-year endorsement deal for its Thums Up cola product, The Economic Times reported on Wednesday.

Following the Olympics, Bhaker’s endorsement fee has surged six times, from the previous Rs 25 lakh to approximately Rs 1.5 crore now, according to the report. At the Olympics, she secured a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event, becoming the first Indian woman shooter to do so.

Indian winners at Paris Olympics 2024

Bhaker also secured her second bronze and India’s first-ever medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event with teammate Sarabjot Singh. Besides them, other winners include shooter Swapnil Kusale (bronze); javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra (silver); Indian hockey team (bronze); wrestler Aman Sehrawat (bronze).

Like Bhaker, similar brand endorsements are likely to crop up with other medalists as well. With a total tally of six medals at the Games, India stood shy of its best record of seven medals, secured at the Tokyo Games.

Vinesh Phogat controversy at Paris Olympics

The prestigious Paris Olympics at the French Capital remained in the spotlight for over a fortnight for many reasons besides sports. Several controversies emerged during the Summer Games, turning the event into a heated political debate across the world. 

Issues included the gender controversy involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, allegations of corruption against France related to the poor quality of medals, and a water pollution crisis in the Seine River among other things. 

For India, the primary controversy was the disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat for exceeding her weight limit by just 100 grams in the 50 kg category. Phogat would have become the first Indian female wrestler to contest a gold medal in Olympics, had she been allowed to compete.

She has appealed against her disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will announce the outcome for a potential joint silver medal for the wrestler on August 16.