India’s Arjun Babuta narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the 10m Air Rifle final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing a heartbreaking fourth in Chateauroux.
Babuta started the competition strongly, vaulting to the top of the leaderboard with a 10.7 in the first stage. However, he dropped back to fourth after his second shot, a 10.2. He remained in the mix throughout the competition, often holding second or third place.
In the final stages of the Elimination round, Babuta faltered, allowing Croatia’s Miran Marcic and Sweden’s Victor Lindgren to overtake him. The eventual winner was China’s Shen Lihao, who was in unstoppable form, finishing with an Olympic record score of 252.2.
Babuta’s performance was a testament to his skill and determination. He started the second stage with a 10.7, vaulting him into third place, and then a 10.5 on his second shot took him into second rank. He maintained his consistency with a 10.4 on his third shot and a 10.6 on his fourth, keeping a small lead over Marcic.
However, Babuta dropped to third with his final shot of Stage 2, a 10.4, allowing Marcic to jump into second place again with a 10.8. Babuta’s total at the end of Stage 2 was 105.0, trailing Sheng’s 105.8.
In the final shots, Babuta began well with a 10.6, while Marcic faltered with a 10.1, allowing the Indian to climb back into second. Babuta closed the gap to Sheng with a 10.8 on his second shot, trailing by just 0.1.
Sheng responded with a 10.8, while Babuta shot a 9.9, opening up a gap between the two. Sheng continued to dominate, shooting a 10.9 on his second shot, while Babuta recovered with a 10.6.
Lindgren jumped into second with a 10.8, while Babuta dropped to third with a 10.2. Sheng maintained his lead with a 10.9, while Babuta climbed back into second with a 10.7.
In the final shots, Babuta shot a 10.5, but Marcic caught up with him, both on 178.3. Marcic responded with a 10.7, while Babuta hit a 10.1. Babuta needed big shots, but he started with a 10.5, remaining in fourth but closing the gap on Marcic, who shot 10.1. However, Marcic shot a 10.7 with his second shot, while Babuta only managed a 9.5 to finish fourth in the competition.
