Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema faced disappointment on Day 1 of the Paris Olympics 2024, failing to qualify in the men’s 10m air pistol event. The setback followed the elimination of two Indian pairs in the 10m air rifle mixed team qualifications.
Sarabjot, who had shown promise in patches, finished ninth in the qualifications with a total score of 577, just one point shy of the top eight. After a slow start, he surged to the top half of the table with a perfect 100 in the fourth series. However, a subpar 93 in the penultimate series proved costly.
Despite finishing with the same points as Germany’s Robin Walter, Sarabjot missed out on the final due to a technicality. Walter had shot one more inner 10 than Sarabjot, which gave him the edge according to the qualification format.
“I thought I did well from my end, but it was a bad day,” Sarabjot said after the event. “I can’t understand how all of this happened. I gave it my best. But it’s fine, its my first Olympics, it was a good experience and I’ve learnt a few lessons.”
Sarabjot’s teammate, Arjun Singh Cheema, also failed to qualify, finishing 14th with a score of 574.
In the 10m air rifle mixed team qualifications, Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta finished sixth with a total score of 628.7, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh ended 12th with an aggregate score of 626.3.
The disappointing results for Indian shooters on Day 1 highlight the challenges they face in competing at the highest level. Despite their efforts and preparation, they were unable to secure a place in the finals.
