Rubina Francis secured India's fifth medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024 by winning the bronze in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 event on Saturday. This achievement marked India's fourth medal in para-shooting, following the successes of Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal, and Manish Narwal.
The gold was claimed by Iran's Sareh Javanmardi with an impressive score of 236.8, while Turkey's Ayesel Ozgan took home the silver with a score of 231.1.
During the final, Rubina initially held the third position after the first series of 10 shots. Despite starting strong with a score of 10.7, her performance fluctuated as the series progressed. Despite facing tough competition from France's Gaelle Edon, Rubina managed to maintain her position during the eliminations.
After the 17th shot, Rubina took a significant lead with a score of 173.7. She secured a medal in the next series with scores of 9.5 and 9.8, while Turkey's Aysegul Pehlivanlar finished in fourth place.
In the final moments of the competition, Rubina engaged in a battle with Ozgan for the silver medal. Ultimately, the Indian shooter from Madhya Pradesh finished in third place after scoring 9.2 and 8.9 in the final shots.
Earlier in the day, Rubina qualified for the final by finishing seventh in the qualification round with a score of 556/600. Despite a slow start with a score of 180 out of 200, she showed improvement in the third series with a score of 95 out of 100. Consistent scores throughout the rest of the qualification, including a 94 in the final series, propelled her into the final round.
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