By Manu Bhaker was at the top of her game as she entered the 10m women’s air pistol final at the Paris Olympics 2024. Bhaker shot 580 to finish third in the qualifications, while Rhythm Sangwan ended 15th with a score of 573. Bhaker, seeking to add an Olympic medal to her resume, performed exceptionally well despite her previous disappointing outing in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old shooter made a bright start with 97 points, taking the fourth spot in Series 1. She maintained her position with another 97 in the second series, even as Sangwan slipped to 26th. Bhaker climbed back into the top two with an excellent 98 in her third series. Despite an 8 in the fifth series, she secured her spot in the final.
Reaches 10m Air Pistol Final
Indian men’s 10m air pistol shooters, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema, had a disappointing day. Sarabjot finished ninth with a total score of 577, while Arjun ended 18th with 574. Sarabjot’s perfect 100 in the fourth series propelled him into the top three, but he failed to sustain the momentum. Cheema lifted himself to the fourth position but lost the plot after promising much.
The Indian mixed rifle teams were also eliminated in the 10m air rifle mixed team qualifications. Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta finished sixth with a total score of 628.7, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh ended 12th with 626.3. Ramita and Babuta came close but fell 1.0 point short of the medal round cut-off. Shooters from China, Korea, and Kazakhstan dominated the qualifications, with China winning the first gold medal of the Games.
China eventually won the first gold medal of the Games in this event after qualifying as the top team for the finals.
