Paris Olympics 2024: Five Indian shooters who disappointed in Paris

Published at :August 9, 2024 at 6:07 PM

Modified at :August 9, 2024 at 6:07 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Shooting had its fair share of disappointing results.

The Paris Olympics 2024 have been a disappointing journey for Indian athletes, marked by multiple fourth-placed finishes.

However, the Olympics began on a promising note, with the hooting contingent led by Manu Bhaker, securing medals. After returning empty-handed from Tokyo, the Indian shooters in Paris delivered three bronze medals. While this number is an improvement from the previous Olympics, it falls short of the expectations set by the talent in the 21-member shooting contingent.

Unfortunately, several shooters who were seen as medal hopefuls failed to live up to expectations. Here, we take a closer look at five shooters who underper-performed in Paris

5. Sift Kaur Samra

Sift Kaur Samra was one of the favourites to win the gold in the women’s 50m rifle 3 position. She holds the world record in the event, which the shooter broke during the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. While breaking a world record is one thing, shattering is another, as the Indian overhauled the previous record by a whopping 2.6 points. In an event where 0.1 point could decide medal winners, this record was astounding.

At the Asian Games finals, Samra came back from sixth place after the first phase to break the record. The expectations for the Olympics were boosted as she won bronze in the World Cup and dominated the national trails. But, Paris 2024 didn’t seem to be Samra’s event as she ended up finishing at 31st place out of the 32 shooters who competed.

4. Prithviraj Tondaiman

Experienced shooter Prithviraj Tondaiman’s performance at the Paris Olympics has raised questions about the country’s athlete selection process.

Tondaiman, who was chosen to represent India in shotgun shooting, finished 16th in the event, failing to qualify for the finals. This outcome has drawn attention to the NRAI process, particularly as Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who originally secured the Olympic quota for India, was not selected for the Games.

Mendiratta had earned India’s first shooting quota for the Paris Olympics by finishing fourth at the 2022 World Championships. However, the quota belonged to the nation, not the individual athlete.

3. Sandeep Singh

In a contentious decision, a shooter from the trials was chosen over the athlete who had secured India’s spot in the men’s 10m air rifle event, ultimately costing India a medal. This event has been closely watched since Abhinav Bindra’s historic gold in 2008.

During the trials, 28-year-old shooter Sandeep Singh outperformed both Rudrankksh Patil, a former world champion and Tokyo Olympian Divyansh Singh Panwar. Patil, who earned India’s Olympic quota by winning the World Championship—a feat only two Indians have achieved in this event—was edged out by just 2.4 points.

Patil, 20, appealed to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), arguing that his international experience and overall performance should be considered over trial results. However, the NRAI chose to prioritize recent form, a decision that backfired when the selected shooter failed to reach the finals, finishing 12th in both the individual and mixed team events.

2. Elavenil Valarivan

Elavenil Valarivan was the partner of Sandeep Singh in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. Elavenil was another sensation who has been in the ranks for the last few years. She was a medal hopeful at Tokyo, but missed out on qualifying for the finals. The 25-year-old was expected to make it to the podium in Paris.

The Arjuna Awardee has been in great form, winning three World Cups in the last three years and a silver in the Asian Air Gun Championships in Jakarta earlier this year. Having missed out in the mixed team event, she was determined to do it in the individual event. Elavenil started well and was in contention for the finals. But, a poor last series meant that she had to miss out on the finals by just 0.7.

1. Rhythm Sangwan

Rhythm Sangwan’s case adds another layer of controversy to the NRAI’s decision-making. At just 20-years-old, Sangwan is considered one of the finest shooting talents from the nation’s capital.

Earlier this year, she secured a bronze medal in the 25m pistol event at the Asian Qualifiers, earning a quota for the Paris Olympics. Her friend and teammate, Esha Singh, secured a quota in the 10m air pistol category after the pair won gold together at the Asian Games.

However, the NRAI made the surprising decision to swap the quotas between Sangwan and Singh, assigning Sangwan to compete in the 10m pistol event and Singh in the 25m pistol. This move raised concerns, especially since Sangwan had recently broken a 29-year-old record in the 25m pistol event. Despite her success in the 25m category, the Delhi shooter was redirected to the 10m individual and mixed team events, where she failed to reach the finals in both.

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