Paris Olympics 2024: Shooter Arjun Babuta narrowly misses medal, finishes fourth in men's 10m air rifle final

In a heartbreaking turn of events at the Paris Olympics 2024, Indian shooter Arjun Babuta narrowly missed out on a medal in the men's 10m air rifle final at his maiden Games, finishing in fourth place with a total score of 208.4 on Monday. 

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Manu Bhaker reflects on Paris Olympics bronze, hopes India secure double-digit medal tally (WATCH)

In a gripping final on Monday, Babuta began his campaign strongly with a 10.7 on his opening shot, followed by a 10.2. His consistent performance continued with a 10.5 and a 10.4 in his subsequent attempts, which initially placed him in contention for a podium finish.

Babuta's score of 10.6 in the first series of shots set him up well, but a 9.5 in response to Croatia's Miran Maricic’s 10.7 in the crucial moments dashed his hopes for a medal. Despite a strong showing throughout the competition, Babuta was unable to sustain his form and fell short of clinching a medal.

The 25-year-old shooter displayed impressive skills, particularly in the second series, where he shot a 10.7, 10.5, and a near-perfect 10.8. These performances momentarily lifted him to second place, closing the gap with world record holder Sheng Lihao to just 0.1 points.

However, Lihao ultimately secured the gold medal with a remarkable Olympic record score of 252.2. Sweden's Victor Lindgren claimed the silver with a score of 251.4, while Croatia's Miran Maricic took the bronze with a total of 230 points.

Several netizens took to X, formerly Twitter, to applaud Babuta's valiant effort in the final. Here's a look at some of the reactions:

Earlier today, Manu Bhaker positioned herself for a potential second Olympic medal, teaming up with Sarabjot Singh to secure a spot in the bronze playoff for the 10m air pistol mixed team event. The 22-year-old shooter and Sarabjot scored a combined total of 580, earning them a place in the medal round scheduled for Tuesday. The Indian duo will compete against South Korea’s Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho, who scored 579, in the bronze-medal match.

Meanwhile, Ramita Jindal secured seventh place in the final of the 10m air rifle women's competition. The young Indian shooter finished with a score of 145.3 in the high-caliber eight-women final. She was positioned seventh with a score of 104.0 after 10 shots, when the elimination rounds commenced.

Also read: Paris Olympics 2024: Shooter Ramita Jindal finishes 7th in 10m air rifle women's final, Indians laud effort