Paris Olympics 2024: Shooter Arjun Babuta qualifies for men's 10m air rifle final, Sandeep Singh misses out

Indian shooter Arjun Babuta qualified for the 10M Air Rifle finals at the Paris Olympics 2024, scoring 630.1 to secure 7th place on Sunday.

Indian shooter Arjun Babuta has advanced to the 10m air rifle final at the Olympic Games after finishing seventh in the qualification round on Sunday. The 25-year-old Babuta shot series of 105.7, 104.9, 105.5, 105.4, 104.0, and 104.6, achieving a total score of 630.1 points to secure his place in the final.

Babuta will compete in the eight-shooter final on Monday, after narrowly missing a final berth in the mixed team event with Ramita Jindal on Saturday, where the duo finished sixth in the qualification.

Originally from Chandigarh, Babuta has been part of the national squad since 2016. Despite being considered an underachiever, he gained recognition by clinching an Olympic berth at the Asian Shooting Championships last year in Changwon.

Army man Sandeep Singh finished 12th in the same event with a score of 629.3, concluding his Paris campaign. Singh gained valuable experience in his maiden Olympics after displacing world champion Rudrankksh Patil in the selection trials held in April-May.

China's Sheng Lihao led the qualifiers with a score of 631.7, just one point short of the qualification record of 632.7 set by fellow countryman Yang Haoran at the Tokyo Games.

Arjun Babuta's qualification marks him as the third Indian shooter to reach the finals at the Paris 2024 Games.

Manu Bhaker was the first, advancing to the final of the women’s 10m air pistol event and eventually clinching a bronze medal. Ramita Jindal followed, making it to the final of the women’s 10m air rifle event.

As Babuta prepares for the final showdown, India will be watching closely, hoping for another stellar performance and a potential medal in shooting at these Olympics.