Welcome to day three (July 29) of the Paris 2024 Olympics! In today's shooting events, India had high hopes from Arjun Babuta, who competed in the men’s 10m air rifle final. Arjun performed commendably, securing fourth place with 208.4 points. At one point, he was a strong contender for a medal, but his last shot was not as accurate, scoring 9.5 points. Out of 20 shots, he scored less than 10 points on only two occasions.
The final saw 8 shooters competing. China's Lihao Sheng clinched the gold with a score of 252.2, setting a new Olympic record.
Babuta's Performance in the Final
First Series: 10.7, 10.2, 10.5, 10.4, 10.6, Total: 52.4 points
Second Series: 10.7, 10.5, 10.4, 10.6, 10.4, Total: 52.6 points
Remaining Shots: 10.6, 10.8, 9.9, 10.6, 10.2, 10.7, 10.5, 10.1, 10.5, 9.5
Source: aajtak
Arjun Babuta was seventh in the qualification round, scoring 630.1 points in the 60-shot series. Here’s his breakdown: 105.7 in the first round, 104.9 in the second, 105.5 in the third, 105.4 in the fourth, 104.0 in the fifth, and 104.6 in the sixth. The final took place on July 29. Another participant, Sandeep Singh, finished 12th with a score of 629.3 points.
Arjun also took part in the 10m air rifle mixed team event but didn't perform as expected. Arjun and his partner Ramita Jindal finished sixth with a total score of 628.7, while Sandeep Singh and Elavenil Valarivan secured 12th place with 626.3 points. At one point, Arjun and Ramita appeared poised to advance, ranking fifth with three shots remaining but ultimately fell short by 1.0 point in reaching the medal round.
Achievements of Arjun Babuta
- Asian Championship, Korea (2023): Silver in 10m air rifle individual event, qualifying for 2024 Olympics.
- World Championship, Cairo (2022): Gold in the 10m air rifle team event.
- ISSF World Cup, Changwon (2022): Two gold medals in individual and men's team events.
- World University Games, Chengdu (2021): Gold in 10m air rifle individual event.
India's Shooting Medalists (Olympics)
1. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Silver, Athens (2004)
2. Abhinav Bindra: Gold, Beijing (2008)
3. Gagan Narang: Bronze, London (2012)
4. Vijay Kumar: Silver, London (2012)
5. Manu Bhaker: Bronze, Paris (2024)
