Rhythm Sangwan's steady hand and bronze medal finish in the 25m sports pistol event at the Asia Qualifiers on Thursday earned her a coveted Paris Olympic quota, further boosting India's already historic tally. This marks the 16th quota for the country, surpassing the previous record of 15 shooters sent to the Tokyo Olympics.
Rhythm's triumph didn't just represent personal glory, but a collective achievement. Earlier this week, Esha Singh and Varun Tomar had secured quotas in the 10m air pistol events, bringing the total to three within the first few days of the qualifiers. This surge of success promises India's strongest shooting contingent at an Olympics yet.
The 20-year-old Haryanvi athlete, fresh off a team gold at the Asian Games last year, posted a score of 28 in the final, narrowly clinching the bronze and with it, the Olympic ticket. China's Yang Jiin reigned supreme with a gold, while Korea's Kim Yeji took silver.
This marks Rhythm's second bronze medal at the qualifiers, the first coming in the 10m air pistol alongside Esha's gold. However, Monday's close finish saw Pakistan's Kishmala Talat edge her out for a quota, making her Thursday's victory all the sweeter.
Earlier this year, Indian sharpshooter Rhythm etched her name in sporting history, shattering the longstanding world record in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. With a laser-like focus and unwavering precision, Sangwan fired her way to a staggering score of 592 in the qualification round, eclipsing the previous record of 591 set by South Korea's Kim Jang-mi in 2014.
With Rhythm's success, India's hopes for a stellar showing at the Paris Olympics continue to soar.
(WITH PTI INPUTS)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Dinesh Karthik set to assist England Lions as batting consultant against Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side
'It's impossible for all the players to play all the time': Dravid defends decision to rest Bumrah, Siraj and Jadeja
Sunil Gavaskar feels Rishabh Pant should be selected in T20 World Cup squad even if he's fit on one leg
