Paris Olympics 2024: Indias Ramita Jindal made history on Sunday by qualifying for the final round of the Womens 10m Air Rifle event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ramita became the second female shooter in the last 20 years, after Manu Bhaker, to reach this stage. She is also the first Indian female rifle shooter since her coach Suma Shirur (Athens 2004) to make it to an Olympic final. Meanwhile, her compatriot Elavenil Valarivan narrowly missed out on the finals.Ramitas impeccable performanceRamita scored 631.5 points and secured the 5th position in the rankings to make it to the medal round. Despite early struggles, she managed to secure her spot with a strong final series. On the other hand, Elavenil was leading at the halfway mark but slipped in the subsequent series and finished 10th in the qualifying round.Journey to the finalsRamita began her qualifying round with impressive shots by scoring 10.5 and 10.9 to rank third initially. Elavenils first shot was 10.6, which placed her in the 8th spot. As the competition progressed, Elavenil climbed to 3rd place with her consistent shots, while Ramita began to drop in the rankings.Ramita ended her first round with 104.3 points and started the second series strongly. Elavenil completed her first series with 105.8 points and secured the 4th spot. Both shooters were in a strong position at the end of the second series, with Ramita in the 6th spot and Elavenil in the 2nd.Final dramaThe third series saw Elavenil temporarily take the top spot after three strong shots, while Ramita struggled but remained in the top 8. However, the series ended poorly for both shooters, with Elavenil scoring 104.4 and Ramita 104.9. In the fourth series, both shooters regained their form, with Elavenil moving to 4th and Ramita climbing back into the top 8.In the crucial fifth series, Elavenil maintained her position, but Ramita slipped out of the top 8 after a few inconsistent shots.
