Chateauroux, Jul 29 (IANS): Arjun Babuta’s stellar performance saw him nearly clinch an Olympic medal in the final of the Men’s 10m Air Rifle final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 25-year-old spent most of the final in the top three of the competition but fell down to fourth in the elimination shoot-outs. Following the heartbreaking result, India’s first individual gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra took the time to pen a message of support for the budding shooter.

“Arjun, congratulations on your inspiring performance today. You came so close, and your dedication shone through every shot. I couldn’t be more proud of your composure under pressure. This performance is just the beginning and I am sure a sign of things to come. Keep pushing, keep believing. The entire nation stands behind you. #Olympics2024 #Paris2024 #ArjunBabuta #Shooting @arjunbabuta,” read the Instagram post by Bindra.

India’s medal aspirant headed into the final two elimination series tied with Croatia’s Miran Maricic at the score of 167.8 points with Swedish shooter Victor Lindgren trailing by just 0.1 points but gave away the advantage in the final two rounds of the elimination shootout.

China’s Lihao Sheng won the gold medal after breaking the Olympic Record with a score of 252.2.

India's 10m Air Pistol Mixed team of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh qualified for the bronze medal match after finishing third in the qualifications with 580-20x points. The duo will play against the Korean pair of Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho on Tuesday.