Indian shooters Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta are preparing for the final round of the 10m air rifle events on Monday, with hopes of enhancing India's medal count at the Paris Olympics.
Their participation comes on the heels of Manu Bhaker’s historic bronze medal win in the 10m air pistol event, marking India’s first-ever shooting medal by a woman.
On Sunday, Ramita Jindal secured a spot in the final of the women’s 10m air rifle event with a fifth-place finish in the qualification round, scoring 631.5. Meanwhile, Arjun Babuta, who placed seventh in the men’s event with a score of 630.1, will also compete in the finals. The top eight shooters from each qualification round advanced to the finals, which are scheduled for today.
Elavenil Valarivan, another Indian shooter, experienced disappointment after a loss in both the mixed team event and the 10m air rifle mixed team qualification, where she and Sandeep Singh finished 12th with a combined score of 626.3. Despite their efforts, they missed out on a top-four finish required for a medal contention.
Arjun Babuta’s qualification for the final came with a series of impressive scores: 105.7, 104.9, 105.5, 105.4, 104.0, and 104.6. He will be joined by Ramita Jindal, who is determined to bring home a medal for India.
Manu Bhaker’s historic achievement on Sunday marks a significant moment for Indian shooting, as she won the country’s first-ever medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event with a bronze medal.
Bhaker’s victory was particularly poignant, as it came after a challenging experience with equipment malfunction at the Tokyo Olympics. She becomes the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic shooting final since Suma Shirur in 2004
South Korea’s Ye Jin claimed the gold medal with a new Olympic record score of 243.2 points, while her compatriot Kim Yeji took the silver with 241.3 points.
