Paris Olympics: Why shooter Sarabjot Singh failed to qualify for Finals despite being tied at 8th?

Following a spectacular opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics 2024, the medal rounds have officially commenced. China was the first country to secure gold medals at the event. Other countries that have also clinched medals include the United States, Great Britain, the Republic of Korea, and Kazakhstan.

India missed a golden opportunity to secure its first medal at the Paris Olympics. Despite a strong showing, the Indian shooters were unable to qualify for the finals in the men's 10m air pistol event and 10m air rifle mixed team event.

Also Read: Paris Olympics: Organizers Issue Apology for Misidentifying South Korean Team as North Korean

Why Sarabjot Singh failed to qualify for Shooting Finals?

In a dramatic turn of events, Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh narrowly missed out on a place in the men's 10m air pistol final. Despite a strong performance in the qualification round, where he scored an aggregate of 577 after six series, Sarabjot finished ninth, just outside the top eight required to advance to the finals. 

The disappointment was compounded by the fact that he was tied on points with Germany's Walter Robins, who secured the eighth spot.

The tiebreaker came down to the count of "inner 10s," a critical factor in precision shooting events. While both shooters scored the same total, Walter Robins edged out Sarabjot Singh by having one more inner 10, with 17 compared to Sarabjot's 16. 

What is Inner 10s in Shooting?

The term "inner 10s" refers to the innermost ring or the center of a shooting target, which represents the highest scoring area. In shooting sports, particularly in Olympic rifle and pistol events, the number of inner 10s is used as a tiebreaker when competitors have the same total score. 

Meanwhile, Arjun Cheema, the other Indian participant in the event, secured 18th place with a total score of 574.

Also Read: India Suffer Huge Setback at Day 1! Mixed 10M Air Rifle Teams Crash out of Medal Race

In other news from Shooting

In the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Paris Olympics 2024, both Indian pairs, Sandeep Singh and Elavenil Valarivan, along with Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal, fell short of reaching the medal matches. 

The team of Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal narrowly missed the cut, finishing sixth with a score of 628.7, while Sandeep Singh and Elavenil Valarivan placed 12th with a score of 626.3 at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux.