Ramita Jindal Creates History: Qualifies For Women’s 10m Air Rifle Medal Round At Paris Olympics

India’s Ramita Jindal made history by qualifying for the medal round of the Women’s 10m Air Rifle on Sunday, July 28, while compatriot Elavenil Valarivan missed out.

Ramita became the second female shooter in the last 20 years, after Manu Bhaker, to reach the medal round. She is the first Indian female rifle shooter since her coach Suma Shirur (Athens 2004) to make it to the Olympic final.

Ramita scored 631.5 points, finishing 5th in the rankings to make it to the medal round. Elavenil, who led at the halfway mark, fell behind in the next three series and finished 10th in the qualifying round.

The final series proved decisive for both Indians as they aimed to overcome their disappointment from the mixed team event.

Korea’s Hyojin Ban won the round with 634.5 points, setting the Olympic Qualification record.

How Things Unfolded for Ramita and Elavenil

Start: Ramita began strong with 10.5 and 10.9 shots, placing her third after two shots. Elavenil’s first shot was 10.6, putting her in 8th spot. Elavenil climbed to 3rd place with her third shot as Ramita slipped down the rankings.

First Series: Elavenil scored consistently, ending the first series with 105.8 points in 4th place. Ramita finished the first series with 104.3 points and started the second series with 21 points after two shots.

Second Series: Elavenil scored 10.4 in her first shot of the second series, while Ramita climbed the rankings with a 10.9 in her 14th shot. Ramita ended the second series with 106 points and moved to 6th place. Elavenil finished the second series with 106.1 points, holding the 2nd spot.

Third Series: Elavenil began the third series strong, moving to the top spot with three 10.6 shots. Ramita struggled but remained in the top 8. Both ended the third series with Elavenil scoring 104.4 and Ramita 104.9.

Fourth Series: Both had a good start to the fourth series, with Elavenil in 4th and Ramita back in the top 8.

Fifth Series: Elavenil remained in contention, while Ramita dropped out of the top 8 after some lackluster shots.

Final Series: Elavenil started strong but slipped to 10th place with a 9.8 in her 59th shot, finishing with 630.7 points. Ramita finished strong with 105.7 points in the final series, securing her place in the medal round.

Now, all eyes will be on Manu Bhaker, who competes in the final round of the women’s 10m Air Pistol on Sunday.

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