(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Manu Bhaker showcased supreme confidence as she entered the 10m women's air pistol final, redeeming the day for Indian shooting after a disappointing start by her teammates at the Olympic Games on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Bhaker scored 580 to secure third place in the qualifications, with Hungarian shooter Veronika Major leading the field with a score of 582. Her fellow Indian competitor, Rhythm Sangwan, finished 15th with a score of 573. The final is scheduled for Sunday.
Having been moved to tears by her challenging performance at the Tokyo Games three years ago, Bhaker is now determined to secure an Olympic medal to complement her already impressive achievements.
A prominent shooter who has earned international acclaim from a young age, Manu Bhaker displayed a strong resolve to move past her Tokyo memories with an impressive qualification performance.
The Haryana shooter began with a solid 97 points, securing the fourth spot at the end of Series 1. She maintained her position with another 97 in the second series, while Rhythm Sangwan dropped to 26th place following a subpar performance that included an 8. Bhaker surged into the top two with a stellar 98 in her third series.
Despite a rare setback with an 8 in the fifth series-her first poor shot in an otherwise stellar qualification-Bhaker remained competitive and successfully advanced to the final.
However, it was a different story for Rhythm Sangwan, who finished 15th in the qualification round and will not feature in the final. Despite her efforts, Sangwan was unable to secure a top spot to advance.
As Bhaker prepares for the final, all eyes will be on her as she aims to clinch a medal for India and cement her place among the top shooters in the world.
Earlier, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema showed flashes of brilliance but fell short of advancing to the men's 10m air pistol final, as well as the 10m air rifle mixed teams, marking a disappointing start for Indian shooters.
Sarabjot Singh finished ninth with a total score of 577 in the qualifications, while Arjun Singh Cheema trailed behind in 18th place with a score of 574. Germany's Robin Walter, who also scored 577, secured the final (eighth) qualifying spot by shooting one more inner 10 (X) than Sarabjot's 16.
Sarabjot made a strong comeback with a perfect 100 in the fourth series, moving into the top three after a rough start, but he couldn't maintain the momentum and fell off. Cheema shot 10 perfect 10s in his final 10 shots, briefly elevating him to fourth place, but he too was unable to capitalize on his promising position.
Earlier in the day, Indian shooters were eliminated during the 10m air rifle mixed team qualifications.
Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta finished sixth with a combined score of 628.7, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh placed 12th with a total of 626.3. Jindal and Babuta were close to advancing, sitting fifth with three shots left, but fell 1.0 point short of the medal round cut-off.
Shooters from China, Korea, and Kazakhstan dominated the qualifications, with China eventually claiming the first gold medal of the Games in this event after qualifying as the top team for the finals.
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