Clubfooted Rubina became India’s first female pistol shooter to land a medal in Paralympics and took India’s overall tally to five on the third day.
Rubina, 25, from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, scored 211.1 in the final, placing third in a field of eight.
Iran’s Sareh Javanmardi won gold with 236.8 points, and Turkey’s Aysel Ozgan took silver with 231.1 points. Rubina had earlier qualified for the final, securing the seventh spot in the qualification round.
In the SH1 category, athletes can hold their guns without difficulty and shoot from either a standing or sitting position in a wheelchair or chair.
Clubfoot is a condition where an infant’s feet are turned inward, sometimes so severely that the bottom of the foot faces sideways or upward.
The previous day, Avani Lekhara made history, defending her women’s 10m air rifle title won in Tokyo, with compatriot Mona Agarwal taking bronze, and Manish Narwal adding silver in the men’s 10m air pistol (SH1).
Rubina’s exceptional talent was recognized by the Gun for Glory academy in 2015, marking the beginning of her rise in the sport. She had also qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics, finishing in seventh position.
Rubina has been trained by Subhash Rana, the younger brother of famed coach Jaspal Rana, who guided Haryana shooter Manu Bhaker’s successful career. Manu Bhaker notably won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.
Sukant vs Suhas semifinal assures India of a medal
In the men’s singles SL4 class, debutant Sukant secured a semifinal spot after defeating Thailand’s Teamarrom Siripong 21-12, 21-12. The victory follows Sukant’s consecutive wins in the three-player group B. He will face his compatriot, Tokyo silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj, in the semifinals.
Sukant, who previously won a bronze at the Asian Para Games last year, expressed his joy at qualifying for the semifinals in his debut tournament.
“It’s my debut tournament. I am so happy to qualify for the semifinals. I was well prepared for today’s game. The first match was much tougher than this. And against him I have played plenty of times and I was very confident. So, I wanted to go one point at a time and then I played really well,” said Sukant after the match.
“The drift and the atmosphere of the hall is very different. I am happy that I was able to adapt well this time,” he added.
In the men’s SL4 competition, only the group toppers advance to the semifinals, and Sukant emerged as the top finisher in his group.
In other category, Nitesh Kumar, who claimed a silver medal at the previous Asian Para Games, also progressed to the semifinals of the men’s singles SL3 category. He won his last group match against Mongkhon Bunsun of Thailand 21-13, 21-14, topping Group A with three successive wins. Bunsun also advanced to the semifinals as the second-place finisher from the same group.
Mandeep Kaur advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s singles SL3 category. She overcame her last group B match against Australia’s Vinot Celine Aurelie with scores of 21-23, 21-10, 21-17.
Sivarajan Solaimalai/Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan however lost to Miles Krajewski/Jayci Simon of USA 21-17, 14-21, 13-21 in the Mixed Doubles SH6 semifinal.
Heartbreak for archers, cyclists and rowers disappoint
Archers, cyclists, and rowers faced setbacks in their respective events, with Sarita Kumari and Sheetal Devi exiting the compound women’s open category, while Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya were eliminated in the cycling qualification rounds. Rowers Anita and Narayana Konganapalle also failed to progress in the mixed PR3 double sculls event.
Sarita Kumari, seeded ninth, was defeated 140-145 by top-seed Oznur Cure Girdi of Korea in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Sheetal Devi, who draws the arrow with her toes, lost by a narrow margin of 137-138 to Tokyo silver medallist Mariana Zuniga of Chile in the last-16 stage.
In cycling, Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya experienced disappointing exits during the qualification rounds. Shaik finished 17th in the men’s 1,000m time trial C1-3 with a timing of 1:21.416. Gaderiya, similarly, placed 11th in the women’s 500m time trial C1-3 with a timing of 49.233.
Shaik had experienced a severe accident in May 2004, resulting in multiple injuries that led to the amputation of his left leg above the knee. Jyoti Gaderiya also endured a bike accident in May 2016, which resulted in her left leg being amputated above the knee. Both cyclists will also compete in road cycling events.
Indian rowers Anita and Narayana Konganapalle were also eliminated from the mixed PR3 double sculls event. They finished the race with a timing of 7:54.33, behind Ukraine (7:29.24) and Great Britain (7:20.53). The pair will now compete in Final B, which will determine the 7th to 12th place finishers.
The PR3 category is designated for para-athletes with some residual leg function, allowing them to slide the seat during competition.
These results mark a challenging day for Indian athletes in archery, cycling, and rowing events.
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