India's star shooter Sarabjot Singh endured a heartbreaking start to his Olympic journey as he narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the 10m air pistol event at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 22-year-old finished in ninth position with a score of 577-16x, just short of the qualifying spots. He was pipped to the final qualifying spot by Germany's Robin Walter, who also scored 577 but had one more inner 10 than Singh. Visibly devastated after the match, Sarabjot struggled to find words during a post-match interview. He admitted to having an off day despite giving his best effort. The young shooter expressed his determination to learn from this experience and improve his technique for future competitions.
“I tried my best but I had an off day as I couldn’t comprehend how the events transpired. I tried to give my best but unfortunately it didn’t happen. However, it’s fine since it was my first Olympics and I got good experience as I learnt a lot of things. I still have some shortcomings in my technique, I’m failing at certain things. I will go back and correct them,” Sarabjot told the official broadcaster.
Looking ahead, Sarabjot Singh will now turn his attention to the mixed team event.
“It felt like a normal game. I looked back once which got me distracted and my next series got ruined. I never focussed on the scoreboard and was just focussed on my technique. Yes, my focus will just be on mixed team event and will prepare for that,” he added.
Arjun Singh Cheema also had a disappointing outing, finishing 18th with a score of 574-17x. With both men out of the competition, India's hopes now rest on Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan, who will compete in the women's 10m air pistol qualification round.
India's Olympic shooting campaign suffered an early setback as both mixed air rifle pairs failed to reach the final. Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta combined for a score of 628.7, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh managed 626.3, placing them twelfth overall.
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