Manu’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics was disappointing. However, the improvement in her performance and mentality was evident in Paris. Manu’s performance kept India’s medal hopes alive after the men’s shooters failed in the rifle mixed doubles and pistol events.
Men fail
Indian shooters were disappointed in men’s 10m pistol event. Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema’s challenge ended in the qualifying round itself. Sarabjot finished ninth in the qualifying round with 577 points, while Arjun finished 18th with 574 points.
Sarabjot and Germany’s Robin Walter had the same 577 marks. However, Walter scored 10 points more often than Sarabjot. Hence, Walter qualified for the finals with a final eighth place finish. Sarabjyot scored 16 points while Walter scored 17 points. Sarabjot had a disappointing start. After that, Sarabjot tried to raise the performance. However, he could not sustain the rhythm.
Disappointment in mixed doubles
Earlier, the Indian pairs of Arjun Babuta-Ramita Jindal and Sandeep Singh-Elavenil Valarivan in the 10m air rifle mixed doubles could not even make it to the medal race. In the qualifying round, the Chinese pair finished first with 632.2 points. Only the top four shooters in the qualifying round remain in the medal race. The first two ranks were competing for the gold medal, while the third-fourth pairs were competing for the bronze medal. Ramita-Babuta pair finished sixth with 628.7 points, while Sandeep-Elavenil pair stood 12th with 626 points.
The first gold medal in the Paris Olympic Games remained in the name of China. China’s Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won gold in the 10m air rifle mixed doubles by defeating Korea’s Keun Jiyeon and Park Hajoon 16-12. This became the youngest pair to win gold. Huang is 17, while Sheng is 18.
