After becoming India’s first woman shooter to clinch an Olympic medal on Sunday, Bhaker could become the only Indian to win two medals at a single Olympics; teams up with Singh for 10m air pistol bronze medal match today
Manu Bhaker (left) and Sarabjot Singh compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round at the Paris Olympics on Monday. Pics/AP, PTI
A confident Manu Bhaker placed herself in contention for a second Olympic medal as she combined with Sarabjot Singh to make the bronze playoff of the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Monday. However, Arjun Babuta buckled under pressure to finish fourth in the men’s 10m air rifle competition while Ramita Jindal finished seventh in the women’s 10m air rifle final.
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Babuta narrowly misses out
Babuta shot a total of 208.4 in the air rifle individual final. A last shot of 9.5, in response to Croatian Miran Maricic’s 10.7, put paid to his hopes of finishing on the podium. The 25-year-old Babuta, who was the last Indian shooter to take aim on Monday, started the 10m air rifle final with a 10.7 and followed that with a 10.2.
India’s Arjun Babuta during the men’s 10m air rifle final
A third shot of 10.5 saw him take the fourth spot while a 10.4 in his fourth lifted him to the third spot. He finished the first series with a solid 10.6. He started the second series with a 10.7, followed that with a 10.5 and shot a near-perfect 10.8 in the second shot of the first elimination series. That effort propelled him into the second place, reducing the deficit between him and world record holder Chinese Sheng Lihao to 0.1 point. However, he could not sustain his form thereafter a missed out on a medal.
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Earlier, Bhaker, 22, who came into the mixed team qualifications after winning a historic bronze medal in the 10m women’s air pistol event on Sunday, and Sarabjot finished scored 580 to make the medal round on Tuesday. They will face Korea’s Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho, who shot 579, in the bronze-medal match.
The other Indian pair of Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema finished 10th (576). Turkiye, after equalling Qualification Olympic Record with 582, and Serbia (581)will contest the gold-medal match.
Ramita Jindal at the women’s 10m air rifle final yesterday
Bhaker was sensational with her 98s in the first two series, but a 95 in the third pulled the team down a bit before making the medal round in the end. Sarabjot, who missed out on gaining a spot in the finals of the men’s 10m air pistol event, shot 97 in the second and third, after a 95 in the first.
Ramita finishes 7th
Meanwhile, Ramita scored 145.3 when she bowed of the high-quality eight-women final. She was placed seventh after 10 shots (104.0), when the elimination began. A 10.5 pushed Ramita to sixth even as Norway’s Hegg Jeanette Duestad made an exit. But the Indian failed to maintain the momentum thereafter.
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