India’s Nihal Singh and Rudransh Khandelwal narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 final at the ongoing Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Singh finished 19th with a score of 522, while Khandelwal placed 22nd with 517 points in the 60-shot qualification round.
This setback comes after Singh’s failure to reach the Mixed 25m Pistol (SH1) final, where he finished 10th in the qualification. Both Singh and Khandelwal had previously secured silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the Mixed 50m Pistol (SH1) at the Para-Shooting World Cup in March 2023.
Despite their individual disappointments, the duo, along with Tokyo Paralympics medalist Singhraj Adhana, contributed to India’s silver medal in the Mixed 50m Pistol team event.
Khandelwal’s journey to the Paralympics has been marked by resilience. After losing his left leg in a fireworks blast in 2015, he spent months recuperating at home. His parents encouraged him to try shooting, and he began training at a local range in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
India’s Paralympic contingent has so far amassed 21 medals in Paris, surpassing its tally of 19 at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The current medal count stands at three gold, eight silver, and ten bronze.
