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

Arjun Babuta missed out on the medal after he finished fourth in a closely-contested 10m air rifle event at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

In qualification, Arjun Babuta had shot a total of 630.1 in the series of 60 shots to end seventh. Meanwhile, the other Indian in the 10m air rifle event, Sandeep Singh, had crashed out after ending in 12th place in qualification, with a score of 629.3 points.

Arjun Babuta had already endured heartbreak in the 10m air rifle mixed team event earlier in what is his debut Olympics, after he and his partner Ramita Jindal had finished sixth.

Arjun and Ramita had come within touching distance of giving the Indian contingent a flying start on the first day of Paris 2024 Olympics at the Chateauroux shooting range on Saturday, after they finished sixth among 28 shooting teams.

Abhinav Bindra connection in Arjun Babuta’s shooting career

Just like many other shooters from India, there is an Abhinav Bindra link to Arjun Babuta’s career. But unlike others who were merely inspired by Bindra becoming India’s first ever individual gold medallist, Arjun Babuta’s career owes an assist from the legendary rifle shooter.

The story goes that Arjun Babuta’s father Neeraj had once approached Bindra in Chandigarh to get his suggestions about how his son should pursue the sport. It was then that Bindra introduced the Babutas to his coach Colonel J S Dhillon in 2013.

It was Dhillon who suggested that the young Arjun Babuta take up rifle shooting. As per Dhillon’s recommendations, Arjun Babuta started training for the 10 meter air rifle category in shooting. Dhillon’s recommendations bore fruit! That same year Arjun took his first steps as a professional shooter, by winning his first medal at the Chandigarh State Shooting Championship.

Two years later, Arjun Babuta broke into the national shooting team where he started to train under national coach Deepali Deshpande. The story goes that he would train for as many as 10 hours everyday to improve his skills in the sport.

Who is Arjun Babuta?

Hailing from a middle-class family from Jalalabad region of Punjab, Arjun Babuta completed his primary education in his hometown which is near the India-Pakistan border. He later moved to Chandigarh along with his family as his father worked with Indian Railways.

He has studied BA Honors at DAV College in Chandigarh.

Full list of Indian shooting medallists so far at the Olympics

For Indian shooting, the pressure of returning sans a medal from their third successive Olympics was already relieved after Manu Bhaker won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics.

Manu had in fact made history by becoming the first woman shooter from India to win an Olympic medal.

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